China's Sanctions on Pompeo and 28 Others Serve as a Warning to the Biden Administration

China Sanctions Trump Administration Officials Ahead of Biden Inauguration
Expectations for Biden Foreign Team's Shift in China Strategy

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Chinese government imposed sanctions on 28 key figures from the former Donald Trump administration, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, immediately after Joe Biden's presidential inauguration. Since sanctions on former officials leaving the White House are not very effective, this move is interpreted as a warning to the Biden administration.

On the 21st (Beijing local time), the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying, "We have decided to sanction those who are primarily responsible for seriously infringing on China's sovereignty and the U.S. government's actions related to China."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was released shortly after 1 a.m. Beijing time on the same day. It appears they waited until 12 noon (Washington local time), when President-elect Biden officially took office.

The sanctions list includes former Secretary Pompeo, Robert O'Brien, former White House National Security Advisor, Peter Navarro, former Director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, and David Stilwell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon were also included on the sanctions list.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that "former U.S. officials such as Pompeo and their immediate family members are banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau," and "companies and organizations related to them will also face restrictions on doing business in China."

This sanction by the Chinese government is widely interpreted as a warning to the new Biden administration officials, including newly appointed Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

Lu Xiang, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the state-run Global Times in an interview, "This sanction is a warning to the Biden administration's cabinet members."

Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, analyzed, "The sanctions contain a warning from the Chinese government to respect China's core interests and uphold the essence of ethics and regulations."

Diao Daming, a professor at Renmin University of China, evaluated the sanctions by saying, "This measure shows China's restraint and sincerity in hoping for stable China-U.S. relations in the future."

Chinese government-affiliated scholars predict that the Biden administration's new diplomatic team will maintain a stance of checking China similar to the Trump administration on a broad scale, while continuously sending messages that cooperation is possible in areas of mutual interest such as infectious diseases and environmental issues.

Jin Kanlong, deputy director of the Institute of International Studies at Renmin University, forecasted, "Although Tony Blinken, the nominee for Secretary of State, expressed a tough stance agreeing with Trump's China policy during the confirmation hearing, there will be changes in the Biden foreign team's tactics toward China."