Under original executive order, US imposed six rounds of sanctions targeting 48 Hong Kong and mainland Chinese officials from 2020 to 2025
They and legal experts said the lifting of sanctions on the nine individuals marked a “friendly gesture” and was “significant”, but little had changed for dozens of others whose sanctions had expired but who were then placed on a different list.
Sanctions compliance requirements for most businesses also remained largely unchanged, one of the lawyers said.
Their assessment followed the Trump administration’s decision to allow a national emergency declaration in an executive order concerning the city – which underpinned Washington’s decision to end Hong Kong’s preferential treatment in areas including trade and export controls – to expire.
Under the original executive order, the United States imposed six rounds of sanctions targeting 48 Hong Kong and mainland officials between 2020 and 2025.