The United States on Monday issued additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials believed to have engaged in alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against Beijing in the final month of US President Donald Trump’s term.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement the restrictions affect officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others.
“China’s authoritarian rulers impose draconian restrictions on the Chinese people’s freedoms of expression, religion or belief, association, and the right to peaceful assembly. The United States has been clear that perpetrators of human rights abuses like these are not welcome in our country,” Pompeo said.
Policymakers will also back $3.2bn for an emergency broadband benefit for low-income Americans, senior congressional aides confirmed.
The COVID-19 relief bill, the second-largest economic stimulus in US history following a $2.3 trillion aid bill passed in March, invests $7bn to increase access to broadband, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. The low-income programme, they said, will “help millions of students, families and unemployed workers afford the broadband they need during the pandemic”.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said in June it had formally designated China’s Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp as threats, a declaration that bars US firms from tapping an $8.3bn government fund to buy equipment from the companies.
U.S. issues additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials
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Last Updated: Dec 21, 2020, 11:37 PM IST
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement the restrictions affect officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others.
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WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday issued additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials believed to have engaged in alleged human rights abuses, taking further action against Beijing in the final month of U.S. President Donald Trump s term.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement the restrictions affect officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in repressing religious practitioners, ethnic minority groups, dissidents and others.
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Headline indices of the Hong Kong stock market finished session lower on Monday, 21 December 2020, as selling on concerns over frictions between the US and China trade spat and rising COVID-19 infections in Britain and parts of North Asia. However, market losses capped amid positive news of U. S. lawmakers accomplishment of an agreement on further stimulus measures to underpin the pandemic-hit economy.
At closing bell, the benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 0.72%, or 191.92 points, to 26,306.68. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dropped 0.78%, or 81.51 points, to 10,401.83.
Several European countries closed their borders to the UK as the country entered a tougher lockdown to fight a new strain of coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair an emergency response meeting on Monday to discuss international travel and the flow of freight in and out of Britain.