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Standing Up to China's Coercion
The Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, has long sought to spread Marxist-Leninist ideology and exert its influence all over the world, said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a written statement. One of the ways the CCP does this is through its United Front Work Department, a government bureau that funds domestic and foreign influence operations through propaganda and manipulation.
“The United Front frequently intimidates members of academia, businesses, civil society groups, and Chinese diaspora communities, including members of ethnic and religious minority communities who speak out against horrific human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang, Tibet, and elsewhere in China,” said Secretary Pompeo.
The CCP’s coercive tactics target individuals viewed as working against the Party’s interests. These tactics include the release of personal details, known as “doxing”, of their targets and even their family members online as a means of political intimidation.
In an effort to stop this manipulation, Secretary Pompeo has imposed visa restrictions under the Immigration and Nationality Act on People’s Republic of China and CCP officials, including those active in the United Front Work Department who have engaged in the use or threat of physical violence, theft and release of private information, espionage, sabotage, or malicious interference in domestic political affairs, academic freedom, personal privacy, or business activity.
These malign activities are intended to co-opt and coerce regional and local leaders, overseas Chinese communities, academia, and other civil society groups both in the United States and other countries in furtherance of the CCP’s authoritarian policies.
“I will continue to implement such visa restrictions to make clear that those responsible for actions that contravene the rules-based international order are not welcome in the United States,” declared Secretary Pompeo.
The United States calls on the PRC to end its use of coercion and intimidation tactics to suppress freedom of expression.