Ministry announces countermeasures to US sanctions

China announced reciprocal countermeasures on Tuesday against four members of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, barring them from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.

The four members are the commission's chairwoman Nadine Maenza, vice-chairman Nury Turkel, and commissioners Anurima Bhargava and James W. Carr.

The measures were imposed in response to US sanctions announced earlier this month against four Chinese officials over so-called human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily news conference.

The commission, established in 1998, surveys "religious freedom" around the world and has often made criticisms related to Xinjiang.

The assets in China of the four members of the US commission would also be frozen and Chinese institutions and citizens would be forbidden from doing business with them, Zhao said, adding that the countermeasures were taken according to the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law.

China opposes and deplores the US imposing illegal sanctions on Chinese officials under the pretext of so-called "human rights" in Xinjiang, he said.

Zhao urged Washington to lift the so-called sanctions and stop interfering in Xinjiang-related affairs and other domestic affairs of China.

China will respond further depending on the development of the situation, he added.

In addition to Xinjiang affairs, the US made a new move to meddle in Tibet-related affairs by announcing the appointment of veteran diplomat Uzra Zeya as the new US special coordinator for Tibetan issues on Monday.

"There's no need for certain US officials to worry about Tibet and no room for their criticisms," Zhao said, adding that China opposes and never recognizes such a post.

The US should assign special investigators on the genocide of Native Americans and the truth about the inadequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a special coordinator on the human rights issues of ethnic minorities in the US, Zhao said.

The US should immediately stop political manipulation, seriously reflect on itself and earnestly solve its own serious ethnic and human rights problems, he said.

He also urged Washington to honor its commitment with concrete actions to recognize Tibet as part of China and not support "Tibet independence", and stop using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China's internal affairs.

China will continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests, Zhao said.