US Democrats rebuke Trump for easing sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong officials

Several top US Democratic lawmakers chided US President Donald Trump on Tuesday for easing sanctions recently on Chinese and Hong Kong officials who, they said, were “complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy”. “We write to express serious concern,” the four-page letter said. “It raises serious questions about the durability of US policy towards Hong Kong that we believe warrant a direct response from the administration.” On July 14, the US allowed its designation of Hong Kong as an area worthy of “national emergency” concern to lapse, although a 2020 executive order remains in place categorising the special administrative…