China Sanctions Rubio and Cruz Among Others

Last month, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) was banned from entering China, and now the country has sanctioned the Florida lawmaker, Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) among others.

The sanctions are a response to the United States’ decision to sanction 11 officials and allies in Hong Kong that have made an effort to curtail political freedoms.

Zhao Lijian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, commented that “in response to those wrong US behaviours, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues.”

In his statement, Lijian added “that Hong Kong is China’s Hong Kong and Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs that no external forces can interfere in,” noting that “China urges the US to recognize the situation and correct its wrongdoings, and not to go further and further on the wrong path.”

In response to the sanctions, Senator Rubio took to Twitter, commenting that “last month China banned me” and “today they sanctioned me.” In turn, “I don’t want to be paranoid but I am starting to think they don’t like me.”

As well, the Florida lawmaker added to his Twitter bio that he is "banned in & sanctioned by China.