2024-07-16 21:59:57
China is ready to respond symmetrically to the restrictions imposed by the American administration if Washington does not change its course. This was stated to TASS by the press secretary of the Chinese embassy in the United States Liu Pengyu, commenting on the visa restrictions imposed by the United States on some Chinese officials under the pretext of protecting human rights, Day.Az reports.
According to him, the restrictive measures announced by the US State Department are “a gross violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations.” “China resolutely rejects and categorically condemns them,” the diplomat emphasized, noting that issues related to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and Hong Kong are “China’s internal affairs, and no foreign state has the right to interfere in them.”
The press secretary of the Chinese diplomatic mission noted that Beijing “calls on the US to stop discrediting” and “lift illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese officials.” “If the US refuses to change course, China will not waver and will respond symmetrically,” he emphasized.
The Chinese diplomatic mission drew attention to the “social stability and economic development” of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, where “people of all ethnic groups <...> enjoy freedom of religion,” and “the culture and languages of ethnic minorities, including the Uyghurs, are protected and passed on” by inheritance. In addition, the representative of the PRC diplomatic mission noted “economic development, social harmony and stability” in Tibet, and also emphasized that after the adoption of the national security law in Hong Kong (the so-called Article 23 of the city’s basic law, an analogue of the constitution), it was possible to restore social stability there and ensure protection of the press and freedom of speech.
At the same time, the term “transnational repression” used by Washington, according to a representative of the Chinese embassy, was invented by the United States, “fabricating and putting together” alleged grounds for persecuting Chinese officials and security service employees. “China categorically rejects this,” he emphasized.