China's state media warns of dangerous shift in Sino-US ties, calls damages 'unrepairable'

Amid soaring US-China tensions, Chinese state media on December 4 warned that some of the damage to the bilateral relationship is ‘beyond repair’ as the US senator and Chinese journalists also indulged in an ugly Twitter spat. The Chinese Communist Party-backed China Daily, in an editorial, said that it is viewing “worrisome signs” over the US limiting the visas of the CCP members and their families along with a ban on cotton imports. 

“Even if the incoming administration has any intention of easing the tensions that have been sown, and continue being sown, some damage is simply beyond repair, as the sitting U.S. president intends,” the Chinese state media said before adding that the China-US relations are being shifted to a “dangerous path”.

Meanwhile, the United States government also added Chinese chipmaker SMIC and oil giant CNOOC to the blacklist of allegedly military firms. Thus Washington has prohibited American investors from purchasing any securities issued by both the companies starting in 2021.

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Visa restrictions for 'malign' CCP members

In the latest move against China during the final days of US President Donald Trump’s administration, the country has restricted the travel of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members to the US. As per the New York Times report on December 3, the latest measure toughening visa rules has already been condemned by the Chinese government as political oppression. 

The rules issued on Wednesday called for limiting the validity of travel visas of the government representatives along with their families to just one month along with allowing single entry, reported the paper citing people familiar with the matter. The media outlet also quoted a spokesperson for the US State Department saying that the move was a part of the broader ongoing action taken by Washington to protect itself from CCP’s ‘malign influence’.

Prior to the newly-introduced restrictions, the CCP members similar to other Chinese citizens were allowed to obtain American visitor visas of up to 10 years’ of duration. Responding to the new rules by Trump administration, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a press briefing on December 3 that it is “clearly an escalated form of political oppression towards China”. She also said that such moves are caused by “extreme anti-China” forces in the United States with “deep-rooted Cold war mentality”.

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