Senior Republican members of the U.S. Congress have urged incoming President Joe Biden to take tough measures in response to Beijing‘s decision to sanction senior U.S. officials who have just stepped down from their posts.
“By imposing sanctions on 28 U.S. officials, the Chinese Communist Party is already testing the Biden Administration‘s resolve to stick to a tougher and more competitive policy toward China,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Utah) tweeted Thursday.
He said, “Republicans and Democrats must join forces to show Beijing that we will not be deterred from defending American interests by intimidation.”
China’s Foreign Ministry announced its decision to sanction 28 officials from the previous U.S. administration 20 minutes after Biden was sworn in, saying they were primarily responsible for “serious violations of China’s sovereignty on China-related issues” and for “a series of crazy acts” in relations with China.
The Communist Party of China statement said the officials and their families will be banned from “entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and they and their affiliated companies and institutions have been restricted from dealing and doing business with China.
Ten of the 28 officials are members of Trump‘s Cabinet, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, trade adviser Navarro, national security adviser O’Brien, health Secretary Azar and deputy national security adviser Bomen.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: China has repeatedly pointed out that “these anti-China politicians” will pay the price for their “crazy acts”. Hua expressed her hope that the new U.S. administration would look at China and U.S.-China relations “objectively and rationally.
China’s decision to impose sanctions comes after the U.S. government declared that the persecution of Uighur and other minorities in Xinjiang by Chinese authorities amounted to “genocide and crime.
The U.S. has previously announced sanctions against Chinese officials and entities involved in the development of policies in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The U.S. government has repeatedly condemned Beijing’s crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), head of the House Republican China Working Group, also tweeted his condemnation of the Communist Party’s decision to impose sanctions. He said that by sanctioning U.S. officials for telling the truth, the Chinese Communist Party has revealed its true colors and that it is “guilty of Crimes Against Humanity and genocide.
McCaul said, “I strongly urge the Biden administration to immediately condemn this baseless and weak sanction and make good on its previous commitment to prioritize strategic competition with the (Communist) Party.”
Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for Biden’s National Security Council, noted that Beijing’s announcement of the sanctions decision at this point in Time “appears to be an attempt to stir up partisan differences.” She denounced the Communist Party’s approach as not only “futile” but also “ridiculous.
Horn said President Biden is looking forward to working with congressional leaders from both parties to define the U.S. position on how to “win the race with China.
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