The United States is imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials to punish Beijing for its alleged crackdown, intimidation and harassment of human rights activists and dissidents, both in China and around the world, the State Department said on Monday. As examples, Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited the “genocide” of the Uyghurs and the crackdown in Tibet and Hong Kong.
China is “attempting to intimidate, harass and suppress dissidents and human rights defenders at home and abroad,” Blinken said, adding that “perpetrators of human rights abuses must continue to face consequences.”
The United States “rejects efforts by [PRC] officials to harass, intimidate, surveil, and kidnap members of ethnic and religious minority groups, including those seeking safety abroad, and American citizens, who speak on behalf of of these vulnerable populations, Blinken said in a statement issued by the State Department on Monday afternoon.
The US sanctions target those officials “believed to be responsible for or complicit in policies or actions” directed at these communities, activists and civil society “in China and beyond,” the State Department said, adding : “We are committed to defending human rights around the world.”
As an example of China’s “transnational repression,” the US said Beijing was trying to silence Uyghur activists who “serve the American people” by denying their relatives permission to leave China.
As we mentioned in La Verdad Noticias, Washington urged Beijing to “end the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, the repressive policies in Tibet, the repression of fundamental freedoms in Kong Kong” and other abuses in other countries. places.
The announcement follows Friday’s call between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in which Washington threatened China with “consequences” unless it repudiated Russia and joined the US-led embargo. United States against Moscow.
China is a sovereign country that opposes unilateral sanctions and reserves the right to defend its interests accordingly, the Beijing government said in response. Xi told Biden that China is for peace and against war and backed a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict.
“All parties should jointly support Russia and Ukraine to have dialogue and negotiation that will produce results and lead to peace,” the Chinese leader said during the presidential phone conversation.