The blacklisting is in retaliation for the recent US sanctions against Chinese officials in Hong Kong.

China said on Friday that it has imposed anti-sanctions on American individuals, including former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, in response to the recent U.S. sanctions imposed on Chinese officials in Hong Kong.

The sanctions are the first sanctions imposed by China under the new anti-foreign sanctions law passed in June. It is a day before the US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit China amid severe tensions between the two countries. A few days ahead.

China has also imposed unspecified “reciprocal counter-sanctions” on current and former representatives of a series of organizations including the Congressional-Administrative China Committee and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

Other nominated institutions include the National Institute of Democracy and International Affairs, the International Republican Institute, Human Rights Watch, and the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC) based in Washington.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China said in a statement: “The US concocted so-called Hong Kong business consultations, groundlessly discredited Hong Kong’s business environment, and illegally sanctioned Chinese officials in Hong Kong.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that these actions seriously violated international law and the basic principles of international relations and seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a regular press conference that the United States was not “intimidated” by China’s actions. This was after Washington issued a Hong Kong business advisory last week and imposed sanctions on more Chinese officials, because Beijing is in the former. Suppress democracy. British colony.

“These actions are the latest examples of how Beijing punished private citizens, companies and civil society organizations to send political signals,” Psaki said, adding that they fully illustrate the risks that the US government has warned about.

Ross could not be reached immediately for comment.

This is the second time this year that China has imposed sanctions on officials serving under former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has taken a strong stance against Beijing and has opposed Beijing on issues such as trade, business practices, and human rights. Confrontation.

Around the time President Joe Biden was sworn in as President in January, China announced sanctions against outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other senior Trump officials. The Biden administration called the move “futile and cynical.”

Biden tried to rally allies and partners to help counter what the White House described as China’s increasingly tough economic and foreign policies.

But US officials said that Sherman will visit China over the weekend, where she will meet with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This is to ensure that the competition between the two countries does not turn into conflict.

Some groups hit by Beijing basically ignore any negative effects of the sanctions. HKDC stated on Twitter that the goal of becoming the ruling party in China is the “best proof” of its struggle for the Hong Kong democracy movement.

Sophie Richardson, the director of Human Rights Watch’s China Department, was named and sanctioned by China on Friday, calling the move “empty.”

“These are diplomatic tantrums designed to divert attention from Beijing’s involvement in crimes against humanity,” she said, referring to China’s alleged human rights violations in western Xinjiang. China has rejected these allegations.