China sanctions US commissioner on religious freedom

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - China on Wednesday announced sanctions on a US commissioner on international religious freedom.

“China has decided to impose sanctions on United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Commissioner [USCIRF] Johnnie Moore, banning him and his family from entering the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao,” Lijian Zhao, spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry told a news conference in Beijing.

Moore had last December announced his “adoption of Jimmy Lai through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project.”

Hong Kong media Moghul Jimmy is in jail facing several charges including those under the controversial national security law.

Besides, the USCIRF in its 2021 annual report alleged religious freedom conditions in China “deteriorated.”

“The government intensified its ‘sinicization of religion’ policy, particularly targeting religions perceived to have foreign connections, such as Christianity, Islam, and Tibetan Buddhism,” the report said.

On his part, Moore said in the report: “The Chinese Communist Party is a hostile actor whose actions imperil the world, and its abuses have been made possible by inexcusable policies endorsed by Congress and the White House over many administrations.”

“We cannot allow the international order, in pursuit of self- interest, to continue to let China play by its own rules,” he added.

Meanwhile, Beijing urged Washington to allow a team of World Health Organization to probe origin of the deadly coronavirus.

“If US really wants full and transparent investigation on coronavirus origins, it should invite the WHO experts into the country, as China has done, and open Fort Detrick base as soon as possible and disclose detailed data on unexplained respiratory illnesses in July 2019,” Lijian said.

The US and its allies have insisted on probing origins of coronavirus which has affected over 165 million people and killed nearly 3.5 million since it was first reported in December 2019 in China.

A team of the WHO released their report after visiting China last January, ruling out any man-made infection, but pointing to wild animals as the source.