Chinese authorities on Monday criticized the sanctions imposed by the United States against two Chinese fishing companies accused of alleged human rights abuses in the field of labor in the Tibet region and said that Washington «is not in a position to act as a world police».
The spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, said in a press conference that this action by Washington «seriously» undermines the relations between the two nations and interferes in «China’s internal affairs».
Wenbin has accused the United States of «blatantly» violating the «basic norms of international relations.» «Tibet-related issues are purely China’s internal affairs and do not tolerate interference from any other country,» he has added.
The Chinese foreign spokesman has urged the U.S. to «immediately» withdraw the sanctions while reiterating that China «will take effective measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.»
The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned two heads of two fishing companies, an action that falls under the so-called Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which aims to pursue, unilaterally, foreign citizens accused of acts of corruption or violations of fundamental rights.
Tibet has been a source of tension between China and the United States over repression, the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas, and severe restrictions on religious freedom or cultural traditions of Tibetans in China.
