China Sanctions Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California After Taiwanese President Visit Hosted by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Means US Staffers Are Banned From Traveling to the Communist Country
- The sanctions were imposed after Wednesday’s meeting between the United States and Taiwan
- They come amid record low relations between the United States and China
- China has been strict about punishing foreign governments that meet with Taiwan over fears it will fuel the territory’s independence movement
China is imposing sanctions on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and other organizations based in the USA and Asia, in response to this closely watched week. interview Between the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the President of Taiwan.
The Reagan Library in California’s Simi Valley was a rare site for a high-level bipartisan meeting that hosted Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week for talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
The penalties are in effect travel bans for the individuals in charge of the library and other groups participating in the meeting. They are also prohibited from working with Chinese organizations.
The meeting came as US-China relations sank to historic lows and as tensions between Taiwan and China escalated. China views any official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to raise Taipei’s global status, and thus a violation of Beijing’s claims to sovereignty over the island.
China vowed to take countermeasures against Taipei over its interaction with the United States, saying, “We will take resolute measures to punish the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their actions, and resolutely protect our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met on Wednesday
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, center, is greeted before a bipartisan leadership meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on April 5, 2023.
In addition, the Prospect Foundation and the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, both in Asia, have been sanctioned for their involvement in promoting Taiwan independence “under the guise of academic and research exchanges,” said a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhou Fenglian. .
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Hudson Institute Research Foundation and the Reagan Library were being sanctioned for “providing a platform and propaganda for separatist activities in Taiwan.”
Four individuals have also been named to the organizations’ leadership roles: Sarah Mae Stern, Chair of the Hudson Institute’s Board of Directors; John B. Walters, director of the Hudson Institute; John Heubush, former executive director of the Reagan Foundation; Joan M. Drake, Chief Administrative Officer, Reagan Foundation. China said any property or financial assets they owned in China would be frozen.
Tsai accepted the leadership award from Hudson Institute As part of her trip to the United States, she also gave a speech on Taiwan’s regional security challenges.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., right, and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen deliver statements to the press after the bipartisan leadership meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif. attend a bipartisan leadership meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Wednesday
The Prospect Foundation is a Taiwanese think-tank that works on dialogue and cooperation on issues related to security, economy, and social development in Taiwan.
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats is a regional organization founded in Thailand that encourages exchanges between liberal and democratic political parties in Asia. Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan Member.
Separately, the Taiwan Affairs Office also announced further sanctions against Hsiao Bi Khiem, Taiwan’s representative to the United States. . China then announced sanctions against a list of individuals from the Democratic Progressive Party and the ruling administration, including Hsiao.
It then banned the individuals, their family members and related organizations from traveling or working in China, including Hong Kong. Friday’s announcement said any financial sponsors of Hsiao are also listed.
