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**Editor's note: **Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.
The U.S. sanctioned 14 Chinese officials on Monday with asset freezes and travel bans in a provocative move that prompted the Chinese Foreign Ministry to promise that it'll respond at an "appropriate time." The officials are chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) and stand accused of eroding democracy in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). This aggressive action undermines the rules-based international order that the U.S. doesn't get tired of pretending to support, which is actually an order based upon rules-based domestic orders in every sovereign state across the world.
China, just like every country, has the right to implement national security policies. The HKSAR has been rocked by unrest over the past year as U.S.-backed individuals and groups sought to destabilize one of the country's key cities. These subversive efforts threaten the viability of the "One Country, Two Systems" model, hence why three ring leaders were sentenced to prison last week for related crimes. One of them was Joshua Wong, who quickly became a darling of the U.S. media and political establishments over the past few years. The latest sanctions therefore appear to be America's revenge for punishing their hybrid war proxy.
There are other motivations behind them as well. Besides destabilizing the rules-based international order by meddling in the internal political affairs of a sovereign state, they're meant to name and shame Chinese political leaders. The sanctions themselves will have no tangible effect on their victims, but the hegemonic symbolism is unmistakable. The U.S. is sending the entire world the very strong message that it'll seek to impose its will upon them if their officials dare to defy Washington like China's did. Targeting China, one of the world's most powerful countries, is intended to intimidate comparatively less powerful countries.
The Great Hall of the People is a landmark building located at the western edge of Tian'anmen Square in Beijing. /Getty
This observation makes one realize that these sanctions, for however symbolic they are in practice, actually constitute a key element of the U.S.'s psychological warfare campaign. They are meant to pressure officials at every level of a government across the world into thinking twice before confidently asserting their national interests in line with domestic legislation, especially which with a national security focus. Should those individuals act against America's hybrid warfare agents, then they too might be punished, but unlike their Chinese counterparts, they might be much more closely connected to the U.S. and therefore more vulnerable to its blackmail ahead of time.
The very fact that these 14 officials were sanctioned speaks to the fact that they put China's interests above America's. Although initially meant to shame them, these sanctions actually elevate them to the level of heroes and show the world that it's possible to politically resist the U.S., especially when a country's national unity is at stake. These aren't criminals, but patriots, and very proud ones at that. The example that they're setting could inspire others to stand up to the U.S. too, so long as they have the political will to do so. And that's what this is really all about, being brave enough to defy the U.S. for patriotic reasons.
Instead of focusing solely on the message that the U.S. is sending to the world through its anti-Chinese bullying, everyone should think deeply about the one that China's officials are sending in the face of American pressure. Being sanctioned by the U.S., for as internationally illegal and destabilizing to the rules-based global order as it is, is actually a badge of honor if viewed from that perspective. This proves that those victims are making important strides in furthering their national interests. The U.S. previously signaled that it'll continue sanctioning Chinese officials, yet those heroes stood their ground and did what was right to support their people's unity.
Try as the U.S. might, it'll never succeed in dividing the Communist Party of China (CPC) from the Chinese people since they are one. The people support the party, and the overwhelmingly vast majority of them understand the need to take decisive action against subversive elements in the name of national security and the rule of law. Without security, laws lose their meaning, which in turn leads to the type of anarchy that America always hopes to exploit abroad. Under no circumstances will China's heroes ever allow that to happen.
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