US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that the sanctions imposed by China on senior US officials and members of Congress will be weighed and responded to.

And Pompeo indicated in an interview with News Max TV that the US sanctions are aimed at making the Chinese Communist Party realize that no action can be taken against the United States or the Americans without US President Donald Trump responding to that, as he put it.

He added that his country is responding in a real way that will protect the American people, and this is evident in the steps taken towards Chinese software and Chinese diplomats who were involved in what he called espionage activities from the consulate in Houston.

He indicated that President Trump gave the green light to his administration to reciprocate in a serious and fair way in all areas, such as trade and misleading media campaigns.

On the other hand, US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin said that starting from next year, all Chinese and other companies must comply with US auditing requirements, or they will be removed from the US stock market.

The decision comes after the president's working group on financial markets recommended on August 6 that steps be taken to enhance listing standards on the US Stock Exchange, with the aim of protecting American investors from competition from Chinese companies.

Trump gave the green light to his administration to reciprocate China in a serious and fair way (French)

Symbolism and effectiveness

For her part, White House spokeswoman Kylie McCannani said that the Chinese sanctions are "symbolic and ineffective," but she declined to clarify whether the US government would respond.

"An increasing number of countries around the world are calling for real action by China," she told reporters, referring to widespread concerns about the national security law that has been imposed on Hong Kong.

The US statements came after China imposed sanctions on 11 Americans, including Deputies Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, in response to similar steps taken by Washington against Chinese officials against the backdrop of Beijing's security campaign in Hong Kong.

Last week, Washington accused 11 officials of suppressing "freedoms and democratic processes" in Hong Kong, including the city's leader, Carrie Lam, and announced that it would freeze any assets they had in the United States.

The move was considered Washington's strongest response so far to Beijing's imposition of a controversial new law on the city related to national security.

Intervene and reject

For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian pointed out that the US move was "a blatant interference in China's internal affairs and a serious violation of international law."

He also said, "China has decided to impose sanctions on some people who have behaved badly on issues related to Hong Kong."

Sanctions include the director of "Human Rights Watch" Kenneth Roth, and the head of the National Endowment for Democracy Karl Gershman. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman did not specify the details of the sanctions.

Republicans, Rubio and Cruz, are among the most prominent supporters of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong since huge and sometimes violent protests erupted last year.

And Beijing accused "foreign powers" of stirring up unrest, which they responded by imposing a security law in late June, raising political concerns in the semi-autonomous city.

Washington and Beijing have been locked in a fight on several fronts in recent months (Reuters)

Reciprocal accusations

The latest US measures come 3 months before the presidential elections scheduled for November, as the Chinese file has become part of President Donald Trump's election campaign, which polls indicate that his opponent, Joe Biden, is advancing it.

With the high level of dissatisfaction with the way he dealt with the outbreak of the Corona epidemic, Trump moved from focusing on the issue of concluding a trade agreement with China to holding it responsible for the Corona outbreak crisis across the world.

Washington and Beijing engaged in controversy on several fronts in recent months, as the two sides exchanged sanctions against the background of the mass detention operations carried out by China against members of mostly Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

On Thursday, Trump also ordered Americans to stop doing business with the popular Chinese "WeChat" and "TikTok" apps, within 45 days.

The decision stated that China may use TikTok to track down federal employees, prepare files on people to blackmail them, and carry out espionage operations on companies.