WASHINGTON (US) – The Trump administration is looking into banning travel to the United States for all the members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, according to a source on Thursday. This move would worsen US-China relations, which are already tense.
Discussions are at an early stage and the issue is yet to be brought before President Donald Trump, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The discussions revolve around whether to reject visas to tens of millions of Chinese, which could widen the feud with Beijing that some have drawn parallels to a new Cold War.
If implemented, it could affect the ruling Communist Party, from the high level to the ones that figure down in the list and is likely to open a means of retaliation against Americans who travel to China. Not only diplomats but also business executives would be affected and could potentially harm US interests in China.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, did not give a confirmation, but said: “We’re working our way through, under the president’s guidance, about how to think about pushing back against the Chinese Communist Party.”
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told, “We keep every option on the table with regard to China.”
The source went on to elaborate that US officials across multiple agencies are involved in the process, which would take into account whether to prevent Communist Party members’ children from attending American universities.
Trump’s aides have been targetting the Communist Party for a while now, despite Trump warding off direct criticism of Chinese President Xi Jinping, whom he acknowledged as a friend.
Since US authorities do not have full lists of the members, it would be difficult to zero in on which Chinese nationals are party members, the source said.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.