US-China relations: Beijing says banning 92 million Communist Party members from America ‘ridiculous’
- Senior US officials reported to be working on draft of presidential order but proposal not yet put before Trump
- China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman says proposal an affront after party helped lift country from poverty and build modern nation
China said the US would antagonise the 1.4 billion Chinese people if it went ahead with a plan to ban entry for all members of the ruling Communist Party.
“If the reports are true, the US is choosing to stand in opposition to all the 1.4 billion Chinese people, which is standing in opposition against one-fifth of the world’s population,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Friday.
“This would be against the will of the people in both nations and against the trend of the 21st century, and is very ridiculous.”
The ban would effectively deny entry to the United States by the nearly 92 million members of the 99-year-old party, which encompasses all levels of the Chinese society from the top political and business elites to the grass roots.
Hua said the party was deeply embedded into Chinese society and was integral to the success of the Chinese nation.
“The leadership of the Communist Party is the fundamental feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Under the leadership of the Communist Party, the Chinese people won independence, freedom and liberation,” she said. “The path of socialism with Chinese characteristics has not only helped the Chinese people get rid of poverty, it has also made a huge contribution to the advancement of mankind.”
Hua said the US had no right to deny the choices made by the Chinese people.
“No country and no one has the right to deny the choice made by the Chinese people or the path they have chosen that has been proved to be correct, nor do they have the ability to stop China from continuing down the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics,” she said.
