China imposes sanctions including entry ban on former US-China Strategic Competition Subcommittee chair of US House

China has imposed sanctions, including a ban on entry, against the former chairman of the U.S.-China Strategic Competition Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives, which was established to address strategic competition with China.

Former Congressman Mike Gallagher
[Photo by AP Yonhap News]

On the 21st, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced through a ministry order that "Mike Gallagher, a former federal lawmaker from Wisconsin, has recently frequently interfered in China's internal affairs, undermined China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and made statements and actions infringing on China's interests," and declared that sanctions would begin from that day. The sanctions include ▲ denial of visa issuance and entry ▲ freezing of movable and immovable property and other assets within China ▲ prohibition of transactions and cooperation with organizations and individuals within China.

Mike Gallagher, who resigned from his position as a member of the House of Representatives last month, served as chairman of the U.S.-China Strategic Competition Subcommittee from January last year until his resignation, representing the Republican Party. Known as a hardliner on China, he also led the passage of the so-called "TikTok Ban Act," which mandated the forced sale of the video-sharing application TikTok, rooted in the Chinese company ByteDance.