In the wake of the Presidential inauguration of Joe Biden, China has imposed sanctions on 28 US individuals, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials of the Trump administration.
Chinese state-sponsored media reported on January 20 that over the past few years, some “anti-China politicians” in the United States had “planned, promoted and executed a series of crazy moves which have gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s interests, offended the Chinese people, and seriously disrupted China-U.S. relations”.
The Chinese government, in order “to defend China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests”, has decided to enforce sanctions on “28 persons who have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and who have been mainly responsible for such U.S. moves on China-related issues”.
These individuals include former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Assistant to the President, Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter Navarro, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Robert C. O’Brien, former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar II, former investment banker and political strategist Stephen Bannon and several others.
Mike Pompeo had, in his last week in office, started a new foreign policy line regarding US-Taiwan relations, had further burdened China with increased sanctions and officially termed the Chinese treatment of its minority Uyghur population a “genocide”.
“These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China”, Chinese state-run media said.