The United States is reportedly considering imposing travel restrictions on members of the Chinese Communist Party amid a deepening dispute, with President Donald Trump saying new sanctions are possible and Beijing promising retaliation.
A draft presidential proclamation would revoke visas for Chinese Communist Party members and their families, according to the New York Times, citing four people familiar with the United States’ travel ban proposal that could apply to up to 92 million members. of the party.
According to the newspaper, the ban would be similar to the 2017 travel ban to Muslim-majority countries by giving the president the ability to prevent foreign nationals deemed “damaging to the interests” of the US from entering the country.
Tensions between increasingly rival countries have escalated in recent weeks in Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed radical and controversial national security laws, as well as Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, seen by the United States as a threat to the security.
On Wednesday, Trump said he had not ruled out additional sanctions on Chinese officials, following his signing of the Hong Kong Autonomy Law, legislation aimed at punishing Beijing for the security law. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday that the United States would impose visa restrictions on “certain employees” of Chinese technology companies, including Huawei.
Earlier in the day, China called on the United States Ambassador, Terry Branstad, to make “solemn representations of Hong Kong law, calling it” serious interference in China’s internal affairs. “A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said: “China will provide the necessary response to the wrongdoings of the United States, including sanctions against US entities and individuals.”
In a statement on Wednesday night, the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong said: “Unreasonable meddling and shameless threats from the United States are the logic and harassment of gangsters.
“No external force can stop China’s determination to maintain national sovereignty and security for Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability.”
State spokesman the Global Times said in an editorial published Wednesday night: “The current administration of the United States abnormally worships its own power … To what extent is the United States willing to hurt itself to harm Hong Kong? No matter what card the United States plays next, China will fight to the end. “
The two countries engage in eye-to-eye clashes over the treatment of the respective media, tariffs on goods, sanctions regarding Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as claims over the disputed South China Sea. On Tuesday, Pompeo declared such claims “illegal”, allying with Southeast Asian countries against Beijing.
After the United States imposed sanctions on Chinese officials involved in alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang, Beijing announced its own set of sanctions against US lawmakers and officials. China has also said it would sanction US arms firm Lockheed Martin for its role in the latest missile sale to Taiwan.
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