Hong Kong called on Washington to let its leader, John Lee, attend a major economic summit in the U.S. this autumn, after a report said the country plans to bar the sanctioned official.

¡°The U.S. is obliged to fulfill its basic responsibilities as a host to follow the rules and usual practices¡± of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation bloc, the city said in a statement Friday, noting that would entail inviting the chief executive of Hong Kong. ¡°The APEC meeting does not belong to a particular country,¡± it added.

The Washington Post earlier reported that Lee, who is sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in Hong Kong¡¯s crackdown on civil liberties, would be blocked from attending the event in San Francisco in November. Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend that summit.