The U.S. sanctioned six senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials on Monday, citing "transnational repression" and further erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy in the Trump administration's first major move to punish China for a crackdown on the financial hub.

“Beijing and Hong Kong officials have used Hong Kong national security laws extraterritorially to intimidate, silence, and harass 19 pro-democracy activists who were forced to flee overseas, including a U.S. citizen and four other U.S. residents,” the U.S. State Department said.

China’s former top spy catcher is among six security enforcers targeted as the Trump administration turns its attention to human rights issues in the city.