China on Tuesday sanctioned seven Taiwanese officials and lawmakers, including denying them admission, calling them “independence diehards,” eliciting criticism from the democratically run island.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House, visited Taiwan earlier this month, and the effects are still being felt. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua stated on Tuesday that China has now penalized seven Taiwanese officials for their support of Taiwan’s independence.
Pelosi’s visit, according to China, sends the incorrect message to local forces for independence. Taiwan, which is democratically autonomous, resists Chinese sovereignty over it.
The penalties follow U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s travel to Taiwan earlier this month, which China claimed sent the incorrect message to forces it sees as supporting independence.
China sees Taiwan as its own province rather than as a distinct country. Taiwan’s government contests China’s claim.
Hsiao Bi-khim, the de facto Taiwan ambassador to Washington, and Wellington Koo, the secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, are among those who have received approval from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. Politicians from Taiwan’s government’s Democratic Progressive Party were also penalized.
Those who have been penalized won’t be allowed to go to China, Hong Kong, or Macau, according to a spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office. As a result, these individuals’ businesses and investors won’t be able to profit in China.
The seven join the already sanctioned individuals, including Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, and Parliament Speaker You Si-Kun.
Angered by Pelosi’s visit, China had earlier conducted military exercises close to Taiwan as a show of force. Pelosi had stated that the US could not allow China to normalize the new level of pressure that it has placed on Taiwan when discussing the retaliation drills.
For decades, Pelosi has been a strong opponent of China “We traveled there to extol Taiwan. We traveled there to express our friendship and to let China know that Taiwan cannot be alone.”
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