US sanctions Chinese officials, executives over ‘coercive behaviour’ in South China Sea
- The moves by the Trump administration will further increase tensions with China, days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20
- Visa restrictions have been placed on figures including CCP officials and executives of Chinese state-owned enterprises
The moves by the Trump administration will further increase tensions with China, days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office on January 20.
The US has long opposed China’s extensive territorial claims on the South China Sea, a potentially resource-rich area that is also a strategic trade route. Washington accuses Beijing of seeking to intimidate other Southeast Asian coastal states such as Vietnam and the Philippines that have competing claims there.
China says Washington has sought to stir up controversy over maritime sovereignty claims and tried to destabilise the region by sending warships and planes to the South China Sea.
“The United States stands with Southeast Asian claimant states seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests, consistent with international law,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in announcing the sanctions. “We will continue to act until we see Beijing cease its coercive behaviour in the South China Sea.”
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The South China Sea dispute explained
A statement from Pompeo said the US was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese individuals, including executives of state-owned enterprises and officials of the Chinese Communist Party and navy.
He said the sanctions were directed against those “responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or (China’s) use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources in the South China Sea”