THERE IS NO CHINA:

Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are pushing for a new bill that targets Chinese officials and banks in retaliation for Chinese moves against Hong Kong's autonomy.

The Chinese government had promised Hong Kong the ability to rule itself under the "one country, two systems" policy when Britain handed the former colony back to China in 1997, but Beijing is now proposing a national security law as part of a crackdown on Hongkongers protesting for more autonomy.

The move could trigger sanctions under the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, passed by U.S. Congress last year. Van Hollen and Toomey are proposing a bill to go even further, by targeting banks that do business with Chinese officials with economic sanctions.

"This is legislation we've been working on as we've watched China crack down on the autonomy of Hong Kong," Van Hollen said on a Tuesday conference call. "This is designed to hit the Chinese Communist Party and the individuals involved in these decisions where it hurts."

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