Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on Beijing over South China Sea

On January 14, 2021, the Trump administration placed new sanctions on Chinese officials over the rising assertiveness of Beijing in the South China Sea. The sanctions are just another step by the Trump administration that could make the diplomacy of President-Elect Joe Biden with China harder once he takes office next week.

The administration also said it was including the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, China’s state oil company, to a list of organizations with which US citizens are barred from doing business.

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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo revealed the sanctions less than a week in advance of next Wednesday’s inauguration day, in what would be the latest in a series of last-minute measures by the US against China.
“The United States stands with South-east Asian claimant States seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests, consistent with international law,” Pompeo said.

The administration has consistently pressured China since the fall of 2019 over human rights violations in Tibet, Hong Kong and the western Xinjiang region, as well as trade, Taiwan and the Chinese approach to the COVID-19 outbreak.

On Wednesday, the administration barred certain agricultural products from being imported to the US, triggering an angry reaction from Beijing. The step on Thursday affects Chinese officials or those that are engaged in South China Sea activities.

The statement did not indicate which officials will be targeted, but preceding acts could cover several of them. Pompeo declared in July that the US would deny nearly all of China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea, which are in dispute by most of China’s smaller neighbouring countries.