China sanctions senior US lawmaker Michael McCaul for visiting Taiwan
- The congressman met Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and pledged to help provide training for the island’s armed forces and to speed up the delivery of weapons
- McCaul will not be allowed to enter China, be banned from interacting with organisations and individuals in the country, and any assets in China will be frozen
China’s foreign ministry on Thursday sanctioned US congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, for visiting Taiwan, saying he had sent a “serious wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces”.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and strongly objects to all high-level engagements between foreign and Taiwanese officials, especially if they involve Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
McCaul visited Taipei last week and met Tsai, pledging to help provide training for Taiwan’s armed forces and to speed up the delivery of weapons.
China’s foreign ministry said McCaul, a Republican, had frequently interfered in China’s internal affairs with his words and actions and harmed China’s interests.
He recently led a delegation to Taiwan, “seriously harming China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and sending a serious wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces”, it added.