BEIJING (Reuters) – 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. They come after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a stopover in the United States this week.
Last August, after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China imposed sanctions including an entry ban on seven Taiwanese officials and lawmakers including Hsiao whom it accused of being “independence diehards”, drawing condemnation from the democratically governed island.
China considers Taiwan its own territory and not a separate country. Taiwan’s government disputes China’s claim.
Others on the August sanctions list also include Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu and Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council Wellington Koo, and politicians from Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Chinese sanctions will have little practical impact as senior Taiwanese officials do not visit China while Chinese courts do not have jurisdiction in Taiwan.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Lincoln Feast)
