China condemns US visa restrictions over treatment of Muslims

WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Tuesday (Oct 8) denounced the United States imposition of visa restrictions on some Chinese officials over China's treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang as interference in the country's internal affairs.

The US decision "seriously violates the basic norms governing international relations, interferes in China's internal affairs and undermines China's interests. China deplores and firmly opposes that", an embassy spokesman said in an e-mailed statement.

"Xinjiang does not have the so-called human rights issue claimed by the US. The accusations by the US side are merely made-up pretexts for its interference," the spokesman said.

The State Department announced the visa plan just a day after the US Commerce Department cited the mistreatment of Uighur Muslims and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in China in its decision to add 20 Chinese public security bureaus and eight companies to a trade blacklist.

China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Beijing will continue to take firm and resolute measures to protect its sovereign security, signalling that it would retaliate against the US blacklisting of Chinese firms.

The State Department did not name the Chinese officials affected by the visa clampdown. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the restrictions "complement" the Commerce Department's actions.

The US moves cast a pall over US-China trade talks in Washington, where deputy negotiators met for a second day to prepare for the first minister-level meetings in more than two months later this week.

A spokesman for the US Trade Representative's office said that no meetings were scheduled for Wednesday, but that high-level talks involving Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would take place as planned on Thursday and Friday.

A Chinese diplomat told Reuters that China wanted a deal, but it cannot be a "zero-sum game".

The diplomat added that it was important for the United States to accept the differences between the two countries' economic systems, particularly China's state-led development model.

China needed to protect its sovereignty and right to develop its economy, added the diplomat, who is not directly involved in the trade talks.

The trade talks in Washington are taking place days before US tariffs on US$250 billion (S$345 billion) worth of Chinese goods are slated to rise to 30 per cent from 25 per cent. President Donald Trump has said the hike will take effect on Oct 15 if no progress is made in the negotiations.