HONG KONG — The Chinese and Hong Kong governments strongly criticized Washington Saturday after the United States imposed sanctions on the territory's leader Carrie Lam, and other officials, dismissing the move as "clowning actions" that would not intimidate Chinese people.

Hong Kong's government said the sanctions were "shameless and despicable" and represented a "blatant and barbaric" interference in China's internal affairs, warning that Hong Kong was being used as a "pawn" in the U.S.-China relationship.

The Trump administration announced Friday it would impose sanctions on Lam and Luo Huining, the head of China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong, along with nine other current and former officials that Washington accuses of curtailing political freedoms, following the imposition of a draconian new security law in June.

politicians to support the anti-China chaos in Hong Kong have been revealed, and their clowning actions are really ridiculous," China's Liaison Office said in a statement.

Luo, the most senior mainland political official in Hong Kong who took up the post earlier this year, said U.S.

sanctions on him indicated the he was doing what he "should be doing for my country and Hong Kong.".

"The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement Friday.