Sanctioned Carrie Lam Shrugs Off Credit Card Curbs

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Monday that US sanctions imposed on her have caused her some personal inconvenience, such as restrictions on her use of credit cards, but she still feels proud to be responsible for helping to safeguard China's national security.

In an interview with state media CGTN, Lam said she feels honoured to have been trusted by the central government to implement Hong Kong's national security law.

The law, which came into effect on July 1 this year, was drawn up and imposed on the SAR by Beijing.

In response, the US slapped sanctions on Lam and 10 other current and former Hong Kong and mainland officials, accusing them of curtailing freedoms in Hong Kong.

Lam said that she and other officials would not be intimidated by Washington.

"By now I think it is quite clear that all this is part of a ploy by the US administration for their self-serving interest. Hong Kong is a ready pawn for them to do this sort of thing because we are an open society and we have a small portion of people who tend to be more radical and critical of the government and of the mainland," the CE said.

"So I think this should be condemned. Any such acts of sanctions against officials, whether in the HKSAR government, or in the Central People's Government, simply for the purpose that they are defending their country's national security, I think such acts of attacks or sanctions should be condemned by us, by the people of Hong Kong, and I think even internationally."

Lam added that the more "anti-China people" there are willing to criticise the national security law, the more effective it will prove to be.