US Sec. of State Blinken: US to take action against rights violations in Hong Kong

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken crossed wires, via Reuters, while speaking at the House of Representatives hearing. The recently appointed US policymaker conveyed support for Hong Kong while strongly condemning the human rights rejections as he said, “We need to continue to follow through on sanctions, for example, against those responsible for committing repressive acts in Hong Kong,” per Reuters.

The US diplomat also mentioned that Iranian funds locked in S. Korea will not be released until Iran rejoins the nuclear deal. "You just can't re-enter the deal by flipping a switch. The Iranians have moved further away from their own compliance. The US accepted talks, Iran has not,” Blinken said further.

FX implications

The US diplomat will be on his first overseas official trip in a few days where he’ll meet China on March 18. Blinken’s comments concerning Hong Kong may add fuel to the Sino-American tussle. However, no immediate market reaction could be witnessed by the press time.