US VISA BAN : Trump Hit Several Chinese Officials and Business Executives Responsible For the Militarization of Disputed South China Sea Areas with Travel Bans

United States imposed a visa ban on the People’s Liberation Army (PLA); members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, and some state-owned businesses responsible for the occupation and the militarization of the disputed South China Sea.

Just before the US imposed visa restrictions on the members of the Chinese government in response to the militarization of the South China Sea, Beijing fired two missiles into the disputed sea, including an ‘aircraft-carrier killer’.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, On Wednesday, China fired two medium-range ballistic missiles, DF-21D, from Zhejiang and DF-26B, from Qinghai province into the sea, provoking the United States to take unprecedented steps against the  People’s Liberation Army (PLA), Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, and their businesses.

According to the Global Times report, the spokesperson of CCP stated that the DF-26B missile can crush moving targets at the sea. The destructive ability of the missile made it the “Aircraft Carrier Killer”.

Senior Colonel Wu Qian, the spokesperson for China Defence Ministry, proclaimed that the missile can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and can carry out precision strikes on land and sea targets.

On the other hand, the spokesperson, Colonel Li Huamin, urged the United States to stop provocation, strictly manage and control its maritime and air military operations, and strictly restrict the actions of its frontline navy and air force to avoid any accidents.

Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo said in a statement issued by the State Department on Wednesday that from August 26, it has started imposing a visa ban on the PRC engagement in, or complicit in, either the large-scale construction, reclamation or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC’s exerts coercion on Southeast Asian claimants to restrain them from obtaining the offshore resources.

The visa restrictions effectively barred the Chinese Communist regime, the members of PLA, Chinese individuals, and businesses of the PRC, related to the South China Sea occupation from entering.

The State Department declared: These people will now be prohibited from entering the United States, and their immediate family members may also be restricted by these visas.

Besides this, the US Department of Commerce has added 24 state-owned PRCs businesses to its list of entities, including numerous subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Corporation (CCCC).

Since 2013, China has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim over 3,000 acres of controversial landforms in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereignty of its neighbors, and causing endless environmental damage, The United States government said. 

The State Council stated that CCCC had led to destructive dredging at the South China Sea boundaries and also known as one of the main contractors used by Beijing in its global “One Belt, One Road” strategy.

The United States asserted that CCCC and its subsidiaries are engaged in corruption, environmental damage, predatory financing, and other abuses worldwide.

Pompeo stated in a statement: China should not be allowed to use CCCC and other state-owned businesses as weapons to implement the expansionist agenda.

He warned that the United States will take action until Washington is convinced that Beijing will stop its enforcement actions in the South China Sea.

Pompeo said: We will continue to work with our allies and partners to resist this destabilizing activity. 

He said that the United States supports a free and open South China Sea. Washington respects the sovereignty of all countries, regardless of size, and is committed to complying with the way international law maintains peace and maintains the freedom of the seas.

Pompeo further added: In July, I announced the latest policy regarding Beijing’s illegal maritime claims in the southern China sea area and indicated that the United States is ready to take firm action against Beijing’s bullying activities.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has always challenged China’s sovereignty over the South China Sea, which is known as the lifeline of all Asian countries.

Since, China tried to cover up the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan city, Hubei province, and spread from there to the world, the relationship between these two countries has deteriorated to the lowest point in history.