China to impose tit-for-tat visa curbs on US officials over Tibet

Beijing urges Washington to stop interfering in ‘internal affairs’ after US imposed travel bans on Chinese officials. China has said it will impose visa restrictions on US individuals following Washington’s imposition of travel bans on Chinese officials it accuses of restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. It came after the Trump administration fired a new shot in its diplomatic war with China on Tuesday by imposing travel bans on Chinese officials it says are restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet. While waging concurrent battles over Beijing’s policies in Hong Kong, human rights in western Xinjiang Province, global trade practices and China’s assertive moves in the South China Sea, the administration hit an unspecified number of Chinese officials with visa restrictions, limiting or entirely eliminating their ability to travel to the US. The statement did not name any of those targeted nor did it give a number of those affected, but it said the ban would be applied to Chinese government and communist party officials who are found to be “substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas.” “Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the PRC’s human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing’s failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers,” he said.