The SAR government on Tuesday condemned the United States after the US put six mainland and Hong Kong officials on its sanctions list.

The government said the move exposed US barbarity under its hegemony. It also said it would not be intimidated and that SAR officials would continue to safeguard national security.

The officials concerned are Dong Jingwei, the director for the Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; Paul Lam, the Secretary for Justice; Raymond Siu, the Police Commissioner; Sonny Au, the secretary-general for the committee for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong; Dick Wong, assistant commissioner of the police - national security; and Margaret Chiu, assistant commissioner of police - national security.

"The fact is that the US has been ignoring the non-interference principle under international law, interfering with other countries' internal affairs, grooming agents, instigating 'colour revolutions', creating social unrest and multiple humanitarian disasters through economic and military coercion, causing suffering to people in many countries," an SAR government spokesman said.

The government said it has the responsibility to pursue, in accordance with the law, those who are suspected to have committed offences endangering national security and absconded overseas.

"The HKSAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or entities concerned, which have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation," the spokesman said.

In a statement, the US State Department accused the officials of using Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially in relation to 19 people who had fled overseas.