China imposes retaliatory sanctions on US senators Rubio, Cruz
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BEIJING • China has announced sanctions against American officials, including Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, in a largely symbolic act of retaliation over US legislation intended to punish Beijing for its treatment of ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told reporters that the "sanctions" against the four officials began yesterday, without giving any details.
Ms Hua listed Mr Rubio and Mr Cruz - both Republicans and high-profile critics of China - as targets of the unspecified measures, in addition to Mr Sam Brownback, Mr Chris Smith and the Congressional Executive Commission on China.
The commission monitors human rights and the development of the rule of law in China and submits an annual report to US President Donald Trump and Congress.
The moves come three days after the United States sanctioned a top member of China's ruling Communist Party and three other officials over alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang, located in the country's far west.
"The US actions seriously interfere in China's internal affairs, seriously violate the basic norms of international relations and seriously damage Sino-US relations," Ms Hua said during a daily briefing. "China will make further responses based on how the situation develops."
Beijing has repeatedly vowed retaliation over US actions intended to support residents of Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan, accusing Washington of inappropriately interfering in China's internal affairs.
The individuals sanctioned by the US include Mr Chen Quanguo, the Xinjiang party secretary who sits on the 25-member Politburo, as well as Mr Zhu Hailun, party secretary of the Xinjiang Political and Legal Committee, and the current and former directors of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.
The tit-for-tat exchanges appeared calibrated to keep the disputes from further escalating and disrupting other aspects of ties between the world's two largest economies, such as their phase one trade deal. The moves were seen as largely symbolic.
The US decision also marked the first time it has sanctioned a sitting Chinese official under the 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which gives Washington broad authority to impose human rights sanctions on foreign officials.
BLOOMBERG, REUTERS