The U.S. State Department imposed visa bans on Chinese Communist Party officials accused of infringing the freedom of Hong Kong citizens, in what a senior official described as the opening salvo in a campaign to force Beijing to back off from new restrictions on the city.
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement Friday that he was barring travel to the U.S. by "current and former CCP officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.” He said family members may also be affected, but, as is customary in visa cases, he didn’t name the officials.
The visa move is largely symbolic. Chinese officials are unlikely to visit the U.S., especially now that the coronavirus pandemic has shut down most international flights and the U.S. has imposed strict limits on travelers from China, where the outbreak began.
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