China on Thursday revoked visa exceptions for U.S. diplomatic passport holders visiting Hong Kong and Macau and imposed sanctions on American officials, a retaliatory action for people who ''have performed badly on Hong Kong-related issues.''
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement announcing it was canceling visa-free visit arrangements for U.S. diplomatic passport holders, making them obtain a visa before visiting Hong Kong and Macau.
The move comes three days after the U.S. government barred 14 Chinese officials —including several in the country’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress — from entering the United States.
The 14 were targeted for their enforcement of a national security law imposed on Hong Kong in June, which Western governments say violates the Sino-British Joint Declaration that reverted control of the city to China.
''China has decided to take action against U.S. executive officials, congressmen, non-governmental organization personnel and their immediate family members who have performed badly on Hong Kong-related issues,'' foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said, according to the South China Morning Post.
Hua did not identify those being sanctioned or what the sanctions were.
The national security law specified acts identified as secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign interference. Its passage resulted in large pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong and loud criticism from the U.S. government.
Following the sanctions imposed by the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to Chinese authorities as ''jackbooted thugs'' for their treatment of Hong Kong and rebuked the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for declining to host his address on national security threats posed by China.
"Pompeo's speech is full of ideological prejudice and tries to smear China, the Communist Party and educational exchanges between China and the U.S.," Hua said.
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