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US-China relations
ChinaDiplomacy

China sanctions former US congressman Mike Gallagher after trip to Taiwan

  • Beijing accuses Gallagher of interference in China’s internal affairs, banning him from entering the country
  • The ex-representative from Wisconsin has been a vocal critic of Beijing on a range of issues

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Former US Representative Mike Gallagher visited Taiwan earlier this year. Photo: Reuters
Liu Zhen
China’s foreign ministry announced sanctions on another former US congressman on Tuesday, three months after he headed a bipartisan delegation of politicians to Taiwan.
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The ministry said Mike Gallagher, former Republican representative from Wisconsin, “frequently made statements and took actions that interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and violated China’s interests in recent years”.

Gallagher is banned from entering the country, and Chinese entities and individuals will be prohibited from engaging in transactions and cooperating with him.

In addition, the authorities will freeze any property he has within Chinese territory, according to the ministry.

Gallagher was part of a congressional delegation that visited Taiwan in February. During the trip, he told then-Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen that “the United States, Democrats and Republicans, stands with Taiwan, for your freedom and for ours”.
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Beijing sees Taiwan as a part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Beijing imposed similar sanctions on former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi and her close family, accusing her of “gross interference in China’s internal affairs” after she paid a supportive visit to Taiwan in August, 2022.
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