U.S. Punishes 24 Chinese Officials on Eve of First Talks Under Biden
Setting a confrontational tone ahead of meetings in Alaska, the United States punished Chinese officials involved in eroding democracy in Hong Kong.
Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress, is the most senior Chinese official targeted by the U.S. sanctions so far.Credit.Leo Ramirez/Agence France-Presse Getty Images
SEOUL The United States punished 24 Chinese officials on Wednesday for undermining Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms, acting just before the first scheduled meeting of senior Chinese and American diplomats since President Biden took office.
In diplomatic terms, the timing of the action was pointed and clearly intentional, continuing a testy start to relations between the Biden administration and China after a tumultuous four years under President Donald J. Trump.
U.S. Sanctions 24 Chinese and Hong Kong Officials Over Civic Rights This comes immediately prior to the first high-level meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials.
Mar 17, 2021 | 07:00 AM EDT
The United States has today deployed sanctions against 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials for undermining Hong Kong s ability to govern itself and elect its own government. It s the first direct action against China from the Biden administration, and comes at a vital time, right as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting the key Asian allies of South Korea and Japan on his first overseas trip.
It s a symbolic first step that shows the administration of new U.S. President Joe Biden will go toe-to-toe with Beijing. There are major concerns here in Asia that Biden will take it easy on China, given the light touch deployed by the Obama administration in which he served as vice president. But times have changed, and so too, perhaps, has Biden s willingness to appease Beijing.
Chief secretary: Electoral reform is really HK s future ecns.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ecns.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Protection of minors a priority By YANG ZEKUN and CAO YIN | China Daily | Updated: 2021-03-15 07:48 Share
Work reports of top procuratorate, court highlight achievements
China s judicial departments have stepped up efforts to improve the system to offer all-around protections to minors, the annual work reports of China s top procuratorate and top court said.
Last year, procuratorates nationwide prosecuted more than 57,000 people for juvenile-related crimes including sexual assault, abuse and abducting and selling children, the work report of the Supreme People s Procuratorate said.
The top procuratorate and other departments have set up 1,029 one-stop case-handling sites to deal with juvenile-related cases, especially sexual assaults. Investigators can complete interrogation, physical checkups, psychological counseling and evidence collection at one time at such sites to prevent secondary injuries to the victim.
Protection of minors a priority chinadaily.com.cn - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chinadaily.com.cn Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.