China has “firmly opposed” a U.S. executive order from Donald Trump to create a blacklist of countries accused of “wrongful detention” of Americans, insisting there is “absolutely no question of so-called wrongful detention” and accusing the U.S. of practicing coercive diplomacy.
Beijing — China on Monday said it “firmly opposes” U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order to establish a new blacklist targeting countries accused of unjustly detaining Americans, a step that could place China, Iran and Afghanistan under scrutiny. The designation, labelled “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” serves as a parallel to the U.S.’s state-sponsor-of-terrorism list.
The executive order, issued last Friday, empowers the U.S. to impose sanctions and export controls, bar involved officials from entry, and even restrict U.S. citizens from travelling to the flagged countries.
At a regular foreign ministry briefing, spokesman Lin Jian asserted, “China is a country governed by the rule of law, and there is absolutely no question of so-called wrongful detention.” He further accused Washington of monopolizing such practices: “wrongful detention, arbitrary detention, coercive diplomacy, long-arm jurisdiction and unilateral sanctions are all the monopolies of the United States.”
Lin closed by reiterating China’s openness: “China, as always, welcomes citizens and enterprises from all countries to visit and conduct business in China.”