The Chinese government announced the imposition of sanctions on Taiwan’s representative to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, for asking for US support for the island’s independence agenda in order to provoke confrontation in the Strait of Formosa.
The measures were announced by the Office for Taiwan of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the highest body in the Asian country for issues related to the self-governing island, reports the state agency Xinhua.
These sanctions are one of China’s first responses to the scales and activities carried out in recent days by the Taiwanese president, Tsai Ing-wen, in the United States, where this Wednesday she met with the speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy. .
A spokesman for the aforementioned Office stated that Hsiao tried to undermine peace and stability between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and found that “no person or force should underestimate our determination and ability to defend China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The sanctions, which also extend to Hsiao’s family, include a ban on entry to mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, as well as a ban on their funding sources or related companies cooperating with Chinese individuals or organizations.
Hsiao, who is part of a list in which the Chinese authorities include what they call “Taiwanese separatist fanatics”, was already sanctioned in similar terms last August along with officials such as the vice president of the Taiwan Legislative Assembly, Tsai Chi-chang. and other members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (PPD).
On the other hand, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council (Executive) announced on Friday sanctions against the Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats.
The department’s spokesperson, Zhu Fenglian, stated that under the auspices of the DPP, these organizations used the excuses of “democracy, freedom and cooperation” to advocate Taiwan independence and conspired with anti-Chinese forces in violation of the principle of ‘one China’.
China sanctions Nancy Pelosi Those responsible for the sanctioned organizations will not be able to access mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao either.
China on Thursday condemned the stay and activities of President Tsai in the US, a country it accused of “collusion” with Taiwan, while advancing that it will respond with “resolute and effective measures to safeguard national sovereignty and integrity territorial”.
For its part, the US asked the Asian country “not to overreact” to the meeting and insisted that the Taiwanese president’s passage through its territory is “an escalation” of her trip to Central America, according to the White House spokeswoman. , Karine Jean-Pierre.
The situation is reminiscent of the one that occurred last August, when the visit to Taiwan of the then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, angered Beijing, which described it as a “farce” and “deplorable betrayal.”
In response, China imposed sanctions on Pelosi, suspended dialogue with the US in several important settings and carried out military exercises in the Taiwan Strait of an intensity unprecedented in decades.
The island is one of the biggest sources of conflict between China and the United States, mainly because Washington is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and would be its biggest military ally in the event of a war with China.
China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which it views as a rogue province since Kuomintang nationalists withdrew there in 1949 after losing the civil war to the communist army.
