US Slaps More Visa Restrictions On Chinese Officials

The United States on Monday issued additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials believed to have engaged in alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against Beijing in the final month of US President Donald Trump's term.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement the restrictions affect officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others.

"China's authoritarian rulers impose draconian restrictions on the Chinese people's freedoms of expression, religion or belief, association, and the right to peaceful assembly. The United States has been clear that perpetrators of human rights abuses like these are not welcome in our country," Pompeo said.

China-US ties have grown increasingly antagonistic over the past year as the world's top two economies sparred over Beijing's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong and rising tensions in the South China Sea.

The United States on Friday added dozens of Chinese companies, including the country's top chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp and Chinese drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, to a trade blacklist as Trump's administration continues to ratchet up tensions with China in his final weeks in office. (Reuters)