China bids good riddance to Donald Trump

China said moments after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency that it would sanction 28 senior Trump officials.

On Wednesday Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described Mike Pompeo as the “Clown of the Century”. Picture: AFP

China said moments after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency that it would impose sanctions on 28 senior American officials who served in the Trump administration as part of a testy send-off that included bidding former president Donald Trump “good riddance” via Twitter.

The parting shots from Beijing punctuated a tumultuous turn in bilateral relations under Mr Trump, who over the past four years moved between friendly overtures toward Chinese leader Xi Jinping and aggressive rhetoric and punitive measures designed to punish China for trade imbalances, alleged technology theft and alleged culpability for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leading the list of sanctioned officials was former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, followed by trade policy hawk Peter Navarro and Robert O’Brien, who led Mr Trump’s national security team. Former deputies on the list included the East Asia chief at the State Department, David R. Stilwell, and Matthew Pottinger on the National Security Council.

The list also included the former secretary of health and human services Alex Azar, Keith Krach, formerly of the State Department, and the Trump administration’s ambassador to the UN, Kelly Craft. Earlier members of Mr Trump’s team were also named, including John Bolton and Steve Bannon.

The list didn’t include Mr Trump himself or his family members. Nor did it include his trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, who forged a trade deal with Beijing.

By releasing the statement moments after the swearing in of President Biden, China appeared to signal a clear break between the former and incoming leadership in the US. While the Biden administration is expected to rally allies to sustain a tough tone with Beijing, officials in China hope for more engagement with Washington, including through international institutions.

In its one-paragraph statement dated on Thursday, China’s Foreign Ministry said the individuals “have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and are primarily responsible for China-related issues,” noting the sanctions demonstrate the government’s resolve to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests. It said the Americans listed, as well as members of their families, were prohibited from entering Chinese territory, including Hong Kong, while companies affiliated with them will face business restrictions in China.

The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. China’s sanctions against the Americans are likely to be mostly symbolic, like US actions against Chinese policy makers. But Beijing’s sanctions could limit the ability of some on its list to work for companies that do significant business in China.

“Overall, I think the move is pretty weak and shows the anger and frustration Beijing had with Trump, but looks desperate overall,” said Harry J. Kazianis, senior director at Washington think tank Centre for the National Interest.

China has usually stopped short of criticism at Mr Trump but on Wednesday, the Twitter feed of the official Xinhua News Agency included a tweet that simply said, “Good Riddance, Donald Trump!” The acidic tone marked a contrast to the previously restrained coverage of American presidents by most official Chinese media outlets, which initially greeted Mr Trump’s presidency with cautious optimism.

That increasingly gave way to anger, starting in early 2018, when Mr Trump levied the first tariffs in what would become a bruising trade war. The attacks escalated as the Trump administration sought to undermine Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co., cast blame on China for the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on the US and punished Beijing over human-rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

In recent months, China’s official mouthpieces have directed their venom at senior Trump administration officials, in particular Mr Pompeo, who has emerged as the face of the White House’s pressure campaign against Beijing and who announced most key sanctions against its officials.

On Tuesday, the Trump administration’s last full day in office, the secretary of state took aim at one of Beijing’s most sensitive sore spots, declaring that China under its Communist Party leadership has committed “genocide and crimes against humanity” against the Uighur ethnic group in the country’s remote northwestern Xinjiang region. As he departed Washington, Mr Trump again blamed China for the coronavirus that has damaged the U.S. economy.

On Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying used her Twitter account to describe Mr Pompeo as the “Clown of the Century.” The Trump administration had targeted dozens of Chinese policy makers with restrictions on travel and business in the US Those Chinese officials were alleged perpetrators of the crackdown in Xinjiang and the imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong that reduced freedoms in the former British colony.

In December, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on senior Chinese politicians over Hong Kong but ultimately decided against targeting members of the Communist Party’s senior-most leadership, the Politburo Standing Committee, a move which would have struck directly at Mr Xi’s inner circle.

“We left the door open,” said former National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow in an interview before the inauguration. “We were primarily focused on the Hong Kong story.”

The Wall Street Journal