China plans sanctions against US officials who visit Taiwan, says Global Times editor Hu Xijin
- US President Donald Trump’s administration has been building closer ties with the self-governing island
- Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visited Taiwan last month
The Chinese government is planning sanctions against senior US officials who visit Taiwan and any American companies these individuals are affiliated with, according to Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, a tabloid controlled by Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece People’s Daily.
Azar was the highest ranking cabinet member to visit Taiwan since Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, and the first senior administration official to visit since Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act into law in 2018.
“Based on what I know, China will sanction senior US officials who visit Taiwan, and American companies which they have ties with,” said Hu. “They will never be allowed to enter Chinese mainland and US companies they have ties with will also lose Chinese mainland market.”
While in Taiwan, Azar met President Tsai Ing-wen, and Azar’s Taiwanese counterpart, Chen Shih-chung, to discuss issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic.