China plans to slap reciprocal visa restrictions on individuals from the United States after Washington introduced sanctions against Chinese officials over Beijing's policies regarding access to foreigners seeking to visit Tibet, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a daily press briefing on Wednesday.
"In response to the wrong actions of the US side, China has decided to introduce visa restrictions on US personnel who behaved badly on Tibet related issues," Zhao said during a daily press briefing.
Amid rising bilateral tensions, China and the United States have traded visa restrictions over several issues in dispute, including the situation in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Tibet. The United States has accused China of carrying out human rights abuses and repression in those places, while Beijing has denied the allegations and argued Washington should not interfere with its domestic affairs.
In 2018, the US passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. The Act seeks to promote access to Tibet for US diplomats and other officials, journalists and other citizens by denying US entry for Chinese officials deemed responsible for restricting access to Tibet.
Tibet is the only region for which China requires diplomats and journalists to seek special access.