"I don't have any assets abroad. Isn't it a waste of effort to impose sanctions? Of course, I could send $100 to Mr. Trump for him to freeze," said Luo Huining, director of the central government's liaison office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in a humorous response on Saturday to US' sanctions imposed on 11 officials from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

"Being on the US sanctions list shows that I have done what I should have done for the country and for Hong Kong," said Luo, who is also the national security advisor to the HKSAR committee for safeguarding national security. 

The liaison office on Saturday expressed opposition and strong condemnation to the sanctions imposed by the US Department of the Treasury on 11 individuals for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly of the citizens of Hong Kong" on Friday. 

Several officials in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, and senior officials from the Chinese mainland are on the list. It includes Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office, and Zheng Yanxiong, director of the central government's office for safeguarding national security in Hong Kong. 

File photo:Xinhua

In a statement released on Saturday, the liaison office said "we will never fear arrogance. If the US thinks that the so-called sanctions will force China to compromise and give up, then they have misunderstood the times, miscalculated and wasted their efforts."

Since the promulgation of the national security law for Hong Kong, some US politicians interfered in China's internal affairs. Now they have violated the basic norms of international law and resorted to imposing sanctions against Chinese officials under the ridiculous pretext of "limiting Hong Kong's political freedom," the statement said. 

The liaison office said the sanctions show the US actually does not care about the rights and freedom of Hong Kong people, but the freedom of Hong Kong secessionists who endanger China's national security and the freedom of gangsters and people who have harmed the interests of Hong Kong residents. 

HK Photo:Unsplash

The unscrupulous intentions of US politicians to support the Hong Kong secessionists have been revealed, and their clowning actions are really ridiculous, the statement stressed. 

The office solemnly called on US politicians to see the general trend clearly and soberly. "No matter how extreme the pressure you exert, you will not be able to stop the trend of prosperity and development of modern China, nor will it be possible to shake the 'one country, two systems' principle," it said. 

On Saturday, officials in Hong Kong also expressed firm opposition to the US sanctions, saying that the sanctions mean nothing to them and they will never be afraid. They pledged to continue focusing on their duty to safeguard the security of the country and of Hong Kong.

Global Times