Beijing unlikely to want to deal a big blow to ties with Washington so soon after Xi-Biden summit, analysts say.
“:”China is expected to be restrained in response to fresh US sanctions against two senior Chinese officials over activities in Tibet, as Beijing tries to avoid worsening ties with Washington , according to diplomatic observers. They also said the sanctions were not unexpected and ties between the two countries showed no sign of improving. On Friday, Washington froze the US assets of Wu Yingjie, the top official in Tibet from 2016 to 2021, and those of Zhang Hongbo, Tibet’s police chief since 2018. It also blocked transactions between them and “US persons” and people in the US who were not authorised by the US Treasury to do so. The Treasury accused Wu and Zhang of involvement in human rights abuses in Tibet and China of subjecting Tibetans to arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killings and physical abuse as part of efforts to restrict religious freedoms in the region. The announcement came just three weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping held three hours of talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Bali. Many had hoped the first in-person meeting of the leaders since Biden’s inauguration would lead to lower tensions but strains have persisted over contentious issues, including the South China Sea, Taiwan and human rights .
