China Sanctions 2 American Officials In Response To US Action Over Tibet

China has imposed sanctions on two American citizens in retaliation for action taken by Washington over human rights abuses in Tibet, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.

This comes amid a continuing standoff between the nations over the treatment of minority communities by the Chinese government.

"...China has decided to take countermeasures, effective today, against Miles Maochun Yu, China policy advisor to former US Secretary of State and Todd Stein, current deputy staff director of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, both of whom have long acted egregiously on Tibet- and other China-related issues," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a press conference on December 23.

The Chinese Spokesperson said the US imposed sanctions on Chinese officials under the pretext of human rights issues in Tibet.

"This grossly interferes in China's internal affairs and gravely violates basic norms in international relations. China has expressed its firm opposition and strongly condemned it," she added.

Accusing the US of interfering in China's Tibet-related and other internal affairs, Mao asked the US to withdraw the sanctions.

Earlier this month, the US sanctioned two Chinese officials for serious human rights abuse in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Wu Yingjie (Wu) and Zhang Hongbo (Zhang) were designated for their involvement in human rights violations.

Separately, the US Senate on Tuesday advanced the Tibet-China Conflict Resolution Act with the intent to push for peaceful resolution of China's occupation of Tibet and resumption of negotiations between the Chinese government and Dalai Lama's envoys.

The bill supports the resolution of the ongoing Tibet-PRC conflict through meaningful negotiations and recognizes the Tibetan people's right to self-determination.

US Senator Jeff Merkley said this legislation makes clear that the United States views the Tibet-China conflict as unresolved and that the people of Tibet deserve a say in how they are governed.

"It sends a clear message to the People's Republic of China: we expect meaningful negotiations over Tibet's status and do not view current Chinese government actions as meeting those expectations," Merkley added.

In a report published on Friday, the Tibet Rights Press said since China's illegitimate conquest of Tibet, the Tibetan people have been fighting for their freedom, and they are still doing so now.

"It is becoming a typical problem for Tibetans in Tibet to be denied access to their fundamental rights. Tibetans are powerless, voiceless, and helpless under the communist party's autocratic control," the report added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)