China Denies Arbitrary Detention of Foreign Nationals
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China denied on Monday that foreign nationals are under threat of arbitrary detention, following a newspaper report that Beijing had warned Washington it might arrest Americans in China.
The Chinese foreign ministry said it was Washington that was mistreating foreign citizens, accusing the United States of "outright political repression” of Chinese academics.
"The U.S. claim that foreign nationals in China are under threat of arbitrary detention is playing the victim and confusing black and white,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing. China protects the safety and legitimate rights of foreigners, he said.
The Wall Street Journal claimed on Saturday that Chinese officials had issued repeated warnings to U.S. government officials that China may detain Americans in response to the Justice Department’s prosecution of Chinese scholars affiliated to the military.
In September, a State Department advisory warned against travel to China, saying the Chinese government used arbitrary detention and exit bans for U.S. citizens and others "to gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments”.
The Trump administration has increasingly accused China of using cyber operations and espionage to steal U.S. technological, military and other know-how. Beijing denies this.
Earlier this year, Chinese prosecutors in June indicted two Canadian citizens on espionage charges, a move seen by Western governments as punishment for Canada’s arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in late 2018.
Beijing has denied the indictment was related to Meng’s case and has repeatedly called for the release of Meng. China hopes Canada can think more about the future of the two countries’ relationship and settle Meng’s case at an early date, said Zhao.
China welcomes U.S. companies to actively participate in its market and will strive to create a fair and just environment, the industry ministry said on Monday, citing a meeting it held with firms such as Qualcomm Inc and General Motors.
Xiao Yaqing, China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology, made the comments during a video meeting held with a delegation sent by the U.S.-China Business Council, the ministry said in a statement published on its website.
Executives from the headquarters of companies like General Motors and Qualcomm attended the meeting, alongside the heads of the U.S.-China Business Council, the statement said, adding that Xiao had also commented on how there were good market prospects in areas like 5G technology and new energy vehicles.
The meeting comes as tensions between Beijing and Washington have escalated in recent weeks particularly over issues like technology that have ensnared Chinese companies like Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, TikTok owner ByteDance and Tencent Holdings
The Chinese foreign ministry said it was Washington that was mistreating foreign citizens, accusing the United States of "outright political repression” of Chinese academics.
"The U.S. claim that foreign nationals in China are under threat of arbitrary detention is playing the victim and confusing black and white,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a regular news briefing. China protects the safety and legitimate rights of foreigners, he said.
The Wall Street Journal claimed on Saturday that Chinese officials had issued repeated warnings to U.S. government officials that China may detain Americans in response to the Justice Department’s prosecution of Chinese scholars affiliated to the military.
In September, a State Department advisory warned against travel to China, saying the Chinese government used arbitrary detention and exit bans for U.S. citizens and others "to gain bargaining leverage over foreign governments”.
The Trump administration has increasingly accused China of using cyber operations and espionage to steal U.S. technological, military and other know-how. Beijing denies this.
Earlier this year, Chinese prosecutors in June indicted two Canadian citizens on espionage charges, a move seen by Western governments as punishment for Canada’s arrest of Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in late 2018.
Beijing has denied the indictment was related to Meng’s case and has repeatedly called for the release of Meng. China hopes Canada can think more about the future of the two countries’ relationship and settle Meng’s case at an early date, said Zhao.
China welcomes U.S. companies to actively participate in its market and will strive to create a fair and just environment, the industry ministry said on Monday, citing a meeting it held with firms such as Qualcomm Inc and General Motors.
Xiao Yaqing, China’s Minister of Industry and Information Technology, made the comments during a video meeting held with a delegation sent by the U.S.-China Business Council, the ministry said in a statement published on its website.
Executives from the headquarters of companies like General Motors and Qualcomm attended the meeting, alongside the heads of the U.S.-China Business Council, the statement said, adding that Xiao had also commented on how there were good market prospects in areas like 5G technology and new energy vehicles.
The meeting comes as tensions between Beijing and Washington have escalated in recent weeks particularly over issues like technology that have ensnared Chinese companies like Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, TikTok owner ByteDance and Tencent Holdings