China on Tuesday sanctioned seven alleged independence "die-hard" Taiwanese politicians and officials after the second U.S. delegation visited the island nation — where Beijing claims sovereignty — in a month.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of Xi Jinping-led Communist Party said those sanctioned and their family members would not be allowed to enter mainland China and its territories in Hong Kong and Macau.
It added that the affiliated organizations would not be allowed to cooperate with mainland organizations or individuals.
"Their affiliated companies and financial sponsors would not be allowed to gain profits from the mainland," a spokesman of the office said in a statement adding that the office will take all other necessary disciplinary measures, and they will be held "accountable for life" in accordance with the law.
This came after a second U.S. Congress delegation led by Senator Ed Markey went to Taiwan, just days after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island on Monday, sparking concerns for Beijing over the increasing visits by foreign dignitaries.
"For a period of time, a small number of Taiwan independence die-hards have tried their best to collude with external forces to carry out 'independence' provocations, deliberately inciting cross-strait confrontation and wantonly undermining the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. They performed extremely poorly during Pelosi's trip to Taiwan," the spokesman added.
Check out more of Benzinga's Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Trade confidently with insights and alerts from analyst ratings, free reports and breaking news that affects the stocks you care about.
