The United States may take further actions against Hong Kong as Sino-US tensions escalate before the US presidential election, lawmakers and commentators speculate. "Hong Kong is not in a powerful enough position to retaliate against the US sanctions, and this will depend on how the central government responds," Chung said. On the other hand, commentator Lau Siu-kai said he expects US President Donald Trump to escalate actions against Hong Kong due to the dire circumstances of his presidential bid. But Lau said the sanctions should have a limited impact as "the US is hoping to achieve its political goal without paying a hefty price." However, Lau disagreed with Chung, saying that there are many options for Hong Kong to choose from in retaliating against US sanctions.

Source: The Standard August 10, 2020 19:14 UTC