Soon after Joe Biden took oath as the 46th President of the United States, China released a statement imposing sanctions of several former officials of Trump administration. Over 28 former Trump administration officials reportedly have been subjected to sanctions on Wednesday.
The statement was released by China minutes after Biden’s oath. Sanctions including travel ban and business restrictions have been imposed on the former officials including former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, former national security advisor Robert O’Brien and former UN ambassador, Kelly Craft. The list of former Trump administration officials sanctioned by China include former President’s economic adviser Peter Navarro, his top diplomatic for Asia, David Stilwell, health and human services secretary, Alex Azar, former national security advisor John Bolton and former strategist Stephen Bannon.
Concerned officials and their families banned from entering China
China’s foreign ministry said in the statement, “Over the past few years, some anti-China politicians in the United States, out of their selfish political interests and prejudice and hatred against China and showing no regard for the interests of the Chinese and American people, have planned, prompted 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-US relations”. As a result of the sanctions, the named officials, their families and companies and institutions associated with them are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China.
Trump administration had called out China for committing atrocities on Uyghur Muslims
The outgoing Trump administration had reportedly said that China was committing genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other Muslims in Xinjiang. Former secretary of state Pompeo had directed the Department of State to continue to investigate and collect information regarding the Chinese atrocities against Muslims in Xinjiang. However, Antony Blinken, secretary of state in Biden’s administration had said that he agreed with Pompeo’s stand regarding China’s treatment of Muslims.