Bangladesh, April 23 -- In yet another escalation of the deepening geopolitical rift between the United States and China, Beijing announced retaliatory sanctions on a group of American officials and civil society leaders, accusing Washington of interfering in its internal affairs-specifically the governance of Hong Kong. The move comes in direct response to recent US sanctions levied against six Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses and the erosion of freedoms in the autonomous city.

The announcement was made on April 21 by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun during a routine press briefing, where he accused certain American individuals of “acting egregiously” on matters related to Hong Kong. While the ...