China Sanctions US Lawmaker for Visiting Taiwan

On Thursday, China imposed penalties on a US lawmaker for travelling to Taiwan, claiming that by doing so, he had broken the One China principle, according to which Beijing has exclusive control over the island. Taiwan is an island republic that China claims as its own. Michael McCaul, the head of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, has been subject to sanctions. McCaul promised to hasten the delivery of weaponry and to aid in the training of Taiwan's armed forces during his meeting with President Ing-wen of Taiwan.

According to a statement released on Thursday by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sanctions against Rep. Michael McCaul include freezing his Chinese assets and properties, forbidding any company or person in China from doing business with him, and denying him a visa to enter the nation.

According to McCaul, receiving approval from the Chinese Communist Party is an honour. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, McCaul regularly meddled in Chinese internal issues through both his words and deeds. The [Chinese Communist Party's] brazen hostility is shown by this unjustified action, which ironically furthers US interests by drawing attention to our international allies.

China's foreign ministry claims that McCaul led a delegation to Taiwan, "seriously harming China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and seriously sending the wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces."

The most significant and delicate matter in China's relations with the US has always been Taiwan.