US imposes visa curbs on Chinese officials for alleged repression

WASHINGTON • United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced new visa restrictions on Chinese officials for alleged actions to repress ethnic and religious minorities both inside and outside the country.

In a statement, which provided no specific details on which officials would be targeted, Mr Blinken also reiterated a call for China to "end its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity" in the north-western region of Xinjiang.

Xinjiang is in the grip of a years-long "anti-terrorism" campaign in which more than a million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in a sprawling network of re-education camps, according to rights groups.

Mr Blinken noted that the visa restrictions would be focused on Chinese officials complicit in policies aimed at repressing religious and ethnic minorities, as well as other dissidents, human rights activists and journalists.

"The United States rejects efforts by PRC (People's Republic of China) officials to harass, intimidate, surveil and abduct members of ethnic and religious minority groups, including those who seek safety abroad, and US citizens, who speak out on behalf of these vulnerable populations," Mr Blinken said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin yesterday criticised the US move, saying Mr Blinken's statement was full of "political lies... and groundlessly suppresses Chinese officials".

"China firmly opposes this," Mr Wang said, urging Washington to immediately revoke the sanctions.

"Otherwise, China will respond with reciprocal countermeasures," he said without offering details.

The US move comes days after President Joe Biden spoke via video call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, in which Mr Biden sought to pressure Mr Xi to not provide support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE