China, on Thursday, imposed sanctions on a US lawmaker for visiting Taiwan, saying he violated the One China principle that says Beijing has sovereignty over the island. China considers the island nation of Taiwan to be its own territory. Sanctions have been imposed on Michael McCaul, chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee. McCaul visited Taiwan President Ing-wen and pledged to speed up delivery of weapons and to help train Taiwan's armed forces.
The sanctions against Rep. Michael McCaul include freezing his assets and properties in China, prohibiting any organisation or individual in China from conducting transactions or working with him, and denying him a visa to enter the country, according to a statement Thursday from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Being sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party is a badge of honour,” McCaul told AP. Chinese foreign ministry said McCaul had frequently interfered in China’s internal affairs with his words and actions. “Ironically, this baseless action serves US interests by bringing more attention to our international partners and revealing the [Chinese Communist Party’s] blatant aggression,” McCaul said.
According to China's foreign ministry, McCaul led a delegation to Taiwan, “seriously harming China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and sending a serious wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
Taiwan has been the single most important and sensitive issue in China's relations with the US.
--With PTI inputs
