MONITORING DESK
BEIJING: US sanctions on two senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights violations in Tibet were illegal and seriously harmed the bilateral relations, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday.
It said that China rejects accusations of using harsh policies to eradicate ethnic dissent and control religious activities in Tibet.
The statement came after the US Treasury Department said Friday that it imposed sanctions on former chief of Communist Party in the Himalayan region Tibet Wu Yingjie and a senior public security official Zhang Hongbo.
Wang Wenbin, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman, said that US sanctions were a gross interference in the domestic affairs of China and a violation of the norms of international relations.
Addressing a weekly media briefing, she said that China urged the United States to immediately take back the so-called sanctions.
She said that sanctions did great damage to bilateral relations and China would strongly safeguard its legitimate interests and rights.
US not qualified to play world police in Tibet
She added that the US had no rights to impose sanctions on other states at every turn. It is not qualified to play the world police.
The spokeswoman also lashed out at the US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns who said on Saturday that his country remained deeply concerned over China’s failure to fulfill its international commitment to human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. She termed the ambassador’s remarks as full of lies and prejudice.
Wang added that China urged the US to end the practice of using human rights violations to smear it.
