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China has imposed further sanctions on Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the United States, prohibiting her and family members from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau, state media reported on Friday.
The sanctions, announced by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, also prohibit investors and firms related to Hsiao from cooperating with mainland organisations and individuals.
The moves come after Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, met with the US House speaker, Kevin McCarthy, during a stopover in the US this week.
In August last year, China imposed sanctions on seven Taiwanese officials and lawmakers including Hsiao whom it accused of being “independence diehards” after then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan its own territory, to be “reunified” by force if necessary.
Chinese sanctions will have little practical impact as senior Taiwanese officials do not visit China, and Chinese courts do not have jurisdiction in Taiwan.
It is the latest move after China deployed warships through waters around Taiwan and vowed a “firm and forceful” response to Tsai meeting McCarthy.
China had repeatedly warned both sides that the meeting should not take place, and deployed an aircraft carrier through waters south-east of Taiwan hours before the talks.
Three additional warships were detected in waters separating the island from mainland China and an anti-submarine helicopter crossed Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, Taipei’s defence ministry said on Thursday morning.
China also deployed coastguard vessels for unusual patrols that triggered a protest from Taiwan.
The US called on China “to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful diplomacy”.
“We remain committed to maintaining open channels of communication so as to prevent the risk of any kind of miscalculation,” a state department spokesman, Vedant Patel, said on Thursday.
Tensions flared around the island last August, following a visit to the island by Pelosi. China then deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, its largest show of force in years.
Its response to the McCarthy meeting has so far been on a much lower level, but still left Taiwan on high alert.
Tsai said face-to-face meetings with US officials were important for “regional peace” and called on Beijing to remain calm.
“I also hope the Chinese side can exercise self-restraint and don’t overreact,” she said at a pre-departure press briefing in Los Angeles.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters
English (US)