The United States sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials for alleged "transnational repression" and acts that threaten to further erode the southern Chinese city's autonomy.

The United States on Monday sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials for "transnational repression" and actions it said eroded the autonomy of Hong Kong, one of the first major moves by the new Trump administration to punish China over its crackdown on democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

Washington placed the sanctions on six officials, including the commissioner of the Hong Kong police force, in response to China’s crackdown on pro-democracy activists in the territory. Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong “have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate,