Xi Jinping's Government Sanctions 2 Americans Over Tibet Rights Controversy

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government sanctioned two Americans in retaliation for US sanctions against two Chinese officials over human rights in Tibet,

What Happened: Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday announced sanctions against historian Yu Maochun, known as Miles Yu in the U.S., and Todd Stein, a staff with the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China. 

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According to an order signed by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, the sanction will be effective Friday, and Beijing will freeze all Chinese assets of Yu and Stein and ban any organization or individual within the country from engaging with them.

Yu and Stein, along with their family members, are also banned from entering China.

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China's official mouthpiece Global Times reported that Yu played an important role in Washington’s new Cold War against China. Stein, who is a director of "Government Relations at the International Campaign for Tibet," has been actively pushing bills targeting China's Xizang Autonomous Region.

Last week, China slammed the U.S. for imposing sanctions on two senior Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in Tibet, which it denies. 

The government refuted the accusations that it has used harsh policies to quell ethnic dissent and control religious activities in the region and called the U.S. sanctions illegal, which seriously harmed U.S.-China ties.

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