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US Officials Sanctioned by China Denounce Measures as Distraction

VOA News

   The 11 U.S. lawmakers and nonprofit leaders sanctioned Monday by China
   are speaking out, with one spokesperson characterizing the new measures
   as "not credible" and others as an attempt to "distract" from China's
   crackdown in Hong Kong.

   White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said China's new sanctions are
   "symbolic and ineffectual," but she would not say if the U.S.
   government would respond.

   China announced sanctions on prominent Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and
   Marco Rubio, along with four other Republican lawmakers, though China
   did not target any Trump administration officials. Five individuals at
   non-profit and rights groups, including Kenneth Roth, executive
   director of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch, also were named.

     Last month [1]#China banned me
     Today they sanctioned me
     I don't want to be paranoid but I am starting to think they don't
     like me[2]https://t.co/Pk9yH1io3Z
     -- Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) [3]August 10, 2020

   The announcement was a direct response to sanctions the U.S. imposed
   three days earlier on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and 10 other
   officials in the special administrative region, including the current
   and former police chiefs.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/China?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://t.co/Pk9yH1io3Z
   3. https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1292776324034109441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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