According to reports, the US plans to unveil additional penalties against Russia and China on Friday, targeting human rights concerns in both nations.
Sources stated that some of the limitations would be tied to Global Magnitsky Act, a statute that allows the US government to penalise foreign government officials throughout the world.
It further stated that the penalties will freeze any assets Russia and China have under US jurisdiction, prohibit their travel to the US, and prohibit economic transactions.
Meanwhile, it also stated that the penalties would also target various firms in Russia’s defence industry that are reportedly linked to the transfer of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles and illegal fishing activities in the Pacific Ocean, which Washington blames on Beijing.
Following the murder of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009 after accusing the administration of wrongdoing, the US Congress passed the Magnitsky Act in 2012.
The Global Magnitsky Act, passed by the US Congress in 2016, broadened the law by allowing the US government to impose penalties on any organisation or people involved in human rights violations or corruption.
Similar legislation has been enacted in other nations, including the United Kingdom and Canada.
This sanctions assessment comes as the United States has labelled China as a looming threat and Russia as an urgent concern.
Last week, the US Defense Department issued the 2022 China Military Power Report, and both China and Russia were prominent in the October National Defense Strategy.
