China SANCTIONS Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California after Taiwanese President’s visit, hosted by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, meaning U.S. staffers are BANNED from traveling to the communist country
- The sanctions were imposed after Wednesday’s US-Taiwan meeting
- They come amid historically low relations between the United States and China
- China has been harsh in cracking down on foreign governments that meet Taiwan, fearing they will take the territory’s independence movement to the next level.
China is imposing sanctions on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and other US and Asian-based organizations in retaliation for this week’s closely watched events. encounter between the Speaker of the US House of Representatives and the President of Taiwan.
The Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, was the site of the rare high-level bipartisan meeting that Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted this week for talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen.
The sanctions are effectively a travel ban for library officials and other groups involved in the meeting. They are also not allowed to cooperate with Chinese organizations.
The meeting came as US-China relations have sunk to an all-time low and tensions between Taiwan and China have risen. China views all official exchanges between foreign governments and Taiwan as an attempt to elevate Taipei’s global status, thereby infringing Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over the island.
China had vowed countermeasures against Taipei over its interactions with the US, saying: “We will take resolute measures to punish the ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and their actions, and resolutely protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country .”
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy meet 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, were penalized for their involvement in promoting Taiwan’s independence “under the guise of academic and research exchanges,” said the spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Zhu Fenglian. .
China’s foreign ministry has announced that the Hudson Institute think tank and the Reagan Library have been sanctioned for “providing a platform and convenience for separatist activities in Taiwan.”
Four individuals in leadership positions at the organizations were also named: Sarah May Stern, chairman of the board of directors of the Hudson Institute; John P. Walters, director of the Hudson Institute; John Heubusch, former executive director of the Reagan Foundation; Joanne M. Drake, chief administrative officer of the Reagan Foundation. China said any property or financial assets belonging to them in China would be frozen.
Tsai had received a leadership award from the Hudson Institute as part of her trip to the US and 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 a bipartisan leadership meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., attend a bipartisan leadership meeting Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Prospect Foundation is a Taiwanese think tank that works on dialogue and cooperation on security, economics and social development in Taiwan.
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats is a Thailand-based regional organization that promotes exchanges between liberal and democratic political parties in Asia. The Democratic Progressive Party of Taiwan is a member.
Separately, the Taiwan Affairs Office also announced further sanctions against Hsiao Bi-Khim, Taiwan’s representative to the US. . China subsequently announced sanctions against a list of individuals from the DPP and ruling government, including Hsiao.
It then banned the individuals, their relatives and related organizations from traveling or operating in China, including Hong Kong. Friday’s announcement said any financial sponsors of Hsiao are also included.