Hong Kong officials with properties in the West or immediate family members who hold foreign passports may see their retirement plans derailed as the United States proposes sanctions.

Ministers’ and government advisors’ own declarations of interest show many of them may be affected. This is further supported by previous media reports that those officials have never denied.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday announced plans to sanction "[Mainland Chinese] and Hong Kong officials directly or indirectly involved in eroding Hong Kong's autonomy."

The move is a response to China's plan to enact a national security law customized for Hong Kong, which Trump said was "absolutely smothering Hong Kong's freedom." The passing of the new law by the National People’s Congress in Beijing last Thursday has caused great anxiety over the loss of freedom and autonomy among the people of Hong Kong.

While the details of the U.S. sanctions are yet to be revealed, there has been speculation that the sanctions would target these officials' assets in the U.S.

Among the 33 members of the Executive Council — composed of all top government officials and 16 non-official members — only two non-official members are known to have properties in the U.S.

But this may not mean the rest of Hong Kong's leadership are off the hook as the U.S. is expected to pressure its allies in the West to follow suit.

While all Executive Council members are required to renounce their foreign citizenship before taking office, their family members are not subject to the same requirement.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor's husband and two sons are reportedly British citizens, a claim which Lam has never denied. The wife and two children of Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po are also said to have British citizenship. While Secretary for Security John Lee Ka-chiu has renounced his own British citizenship, his wife and two sons reportedly have not.

Canadian citizenship appears to be another favorite among these top officials' family members. Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng's husband is known to have acquired Canadian citizenship, while the wife and daughter of Secretary for the Environment Wong Kam-sing are said to have emigrated to Canada.

Among the 16-member cabinet, six ministers are known to own properties themselves or have immediate family members who are property owners in the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia.

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