US President Donald Trump plans several new hardline moves against China in the remaining weeks of his term, according to a senior administration official, which could tie the hands of President-elect Joe Biden.
Actions under consideration include protecting American technology from exploitation by the Chinese military, countering illegal fishing, and more sanctions against Communist Party officials or institutions causing damage in Hong Kong or the western Xinjiang region, the official said. , without providing details.
“Unless Beijing changes course and becomes a responsible actor on the world stage, future US presidents will find it politically suicidal to reverse President Trump’s historic actions,” said John Ullyot, spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement.
Axios previously reported that Trump may announce sanctions or trade restrictions against more Chinese companies, government entities or officials, citing human rights violations or threats to US national security. Biden’s transition team said it had no comment on the report for now.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday that “cooperation is the only right way forward.”
“It serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples to ensure the healthy and stable development of China-US relations. It is also what the international community hopes to see, “Zhao said.” China maintains that both sides will benefit from cooperation but lose from confrontation. “
Tougher moves against China were expected in the final weeks of the Trump administration.
Raymond James Financial Inc. analyst Ed Mills wrote in a note posted Friday that the financial services firm was preparing for additional executive orders on hardline positions, done in ways that could be difficult to reverse. That assessment followed Trump’s executive order on Thursday that bans US investments in Chinese companies owned or controlled by the military.
The order prohibits investment firms and pension funds from buying and selling shares of 20 Chinese companies designated by the Pentagon as linked to the military in June, as well as 11 other companies added in August, Axios reported. He said administration officials were discussing expanding that list.
The Trump administration also faces a mid-December deadline to name and sanction any bank that does business with officials identified as undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.
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