Local political groups have denounced Washington's move to put six mainland and Hong Kong officials on its sanctions list.

Members of the DAB on Tuesday staged a protest outside the US consulate in Central.

The party’s vice-chairman Holden Chow, who was among the demonstrators, called the sanctions an "ill-intentioned" move to suppress China.

“The US government has spread a lot of falsehoods against the Hong Kong government and our judiciary too, especially over the verdicts for those criminals who are found guilty in court because of national security cases,” he said.

“It's sort of a political move with the aim of suppressing China.”

The Commissioner’s Office of the Foreign Ministry in Hong Kong earlier said China will take strong and resolute countermeasures in response to the wrong moves by the US side.

Chow said this may include counter-sanctions.

“And I'm sure that when they carry out the counter sanctions or other measures to counter the US ill-intentioned move, they will be effective,” he said.

The Business and Professionals Alliance also strongly condemned the sanctions and urged Washington to stop meddling in China's internal matters.

In a statement, it accused the Trump administration of ignoring the fact that Hong Kong has maintained a stable business environment for global investors, including American businesses, since the city’s national security law was put in place.

It called on the business community and all sectors of society to stand united, support the governance of the SAR and safeguard national security.

The sanctions also triggered strong words from the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).

The FTU said Washington's "shameless act" will be spurned by people around the world.

Its president Stanley Ng said the US is simply shooting itself in the foot with the sanctions.
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Last updated: 2025-04-01 HKT 18:32