Taipei: China has imposed sanctions on a United States Congressman for his visit to Taiwan, on the grounds that he violated the “One China” principle that says Beijing has sovereignty over the island.
The sanctions on Rep. Michael McCaul came on Thursday. Mainland China's ruling Communist Party says Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949 amid a civil war, belong to and is to be reunited with, China by force if necessary. According to Beijing, Taipei has no right to conduct foreign relations and views visits by U.S. lawmakers to the island as a defiance of its claims of sovereignty.
The sanctions against the House member include freezing his assets and properties in China, prohibiting any organisation or individual in China from conducting transactions or working with him, and denying him a visa to enter the country, according to a statement on Thursday from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It's one of several rounds of sanctions China announced as tensions mount between Beijing and Washington.
On April 5, U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's met Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and China retaliated by sanctioning the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and other organizations, adding to strains over the self-governed island democracy claimed by Beijing.
This was followed by a large-scale three-day military exercise surrounding the island, sending more than 200 warplanes toward Taiwan.
McCaul, R-Texas, visited Taiwan from April 6 to 8 to discuss weapons deals between the U.S. and Taiwan, shortly after the sensitive meeting that drew China's ire.
“Being sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party is a badge of honor,” McCaul said in a statement. “Nothing will deter the United States from supporting free, democratic nations — including Taiwan.” McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been batting for a hard-line stance against China and closer ties with Taiwan.
Relations between the U.S. and China have sunk to historic lows. The U.S. has been increasingly critical of China's human rights record, its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its actions in Hong Kong in clamping down on protests. China, on the other hand, has been accusing the U.S. of meddling in its internal affairs, and pursuing a containment strategy against China to prevent the country's rise.
(Inputs by PTI)