(Finance) – China has announced a series of sanctions against the Reagan Library, the Hudson Institute and their directors, in retaliation for Wednesday’s meeting between Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wenand the Speaker of the American Chamber, Kevin McCarthy. “Despite repeated representations and staunch opposition from China, the US has insisted on allowing Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen to ‘transit’ to the US to engage in political activities from March 29 to 31 and from April 4 to 6, 2023″, reported the Foreign Ministry of Beijing. Further sanctions have also been announced on other Taiwanese associations and citizens.
China accused theHudson Institute and the Reagan Library that it provided Tsai with “a platform and convenience to engage in Taiwanese independence separatist activities in the United States”, grossly violating the ‘One China’ principle, the provisions of the three Sino-US joint communiqués, and harming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China. As a result, the two institutions are subject to “strict restrictions” on trade and relations with Chinese counterparts, while their managers – Sarah May Stern and John P. Walters, chairman of the board and director of the Hudson Institute; John Heubusch and Joanne M. Drake, former executive director and chief administrative officer of the Reagan Foundation – a “freeze of movable, immovable and other types of assets inside” China, as well as the blocking of visa issuance and exchange with Chinese entities.
Similar sanctions were announced by the central government’s Taiwan Affairs Office against the Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democratstwo institutions of the island, and their leaders, for their commitment to the independence of Taipei. Zhu Fenglian, spokesman for the Beijing Office explained that acting “on instructions from the Democratic Progressive Party authorities, the two organizations, under the pretext of democracy, freedom and cooperation, and under the pretext of academic exchanges and seminars, only wanted to peddle the idea of Taiwan independence in the international arena”.
“They did everything to ingratiate themselves with them anti-Chinese forces engaging in incidents that promoted ‘one China, one Taiwan’, ‘two Chinas’ and other violations of the ‘One China’ principle in an attempt to expand Taiwan’s so-called international space,” he added. Sanctions, under the category of ‘ diehard separatists’, even for Hsiao Bi-khimTaiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US.
(Photo: SalRangThaeu)