China warns US it will ‘strike back’ for ‘reckless’ sanctions
The warning comes after the US imposed sweeping human rights-related sanctions on Chinese individuals and entities, including artificial intelligence company SenseTime.
China has warned the United States that it would “strike back” in response to any “reckless” actions, urging Washington to withdraw its recent passing of sanctions targeting people and entities tied to human rights abuses committed by Beijing.
The United States imposed sweeping human rights-related sanctions on Friday against Chinese individuals and entities, adding individuals and entities tied to Myanmar, North Korea, and Bangladesh.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin denounced the sanctions as “perverse actions”.
“We urge the US to immediately withdraw the relevant wrong decision and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and harming China’s interests.
“If the US acts recklessly, China will take effective measures to strike back resolutely,” Wang said during a news conference in Beijing on Monday.
The measures are the latest in a raft of sanctions timed to coincide with Biden’s two-day virtual Summit for Democracy, where he announced initiatives to bolster democracy around the world and support for pro-democracy legislation in the United States.
On Monday, Wang vowed that Beijing “is unwavering in its determination to defend national sovereignty, security, and development interests”.
He also defended China’s policy in dealing with the Muslim Uighur community in the autonomous region of Xinjiang, saying it is determined “to combat violence, terrorism, separatism, and religious extremist forces”.
“The perverse actions of the United States cannot destroy the overall shape of Xinjiang’s development, stop China’s progress, or reverse the trend of historical development.”
Among those targeted by the US Treasury for sanctions was the Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime, accusing it of having developed facial recognition programs that can determine a target’s ethnicity, with a particular focus on identifying ethnic Uighurs.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES