BEIJING – China on September 8 sharply criticized a new U.S. initiative to create a blacklist of countries accused of unjustly detaining American citizens, calling it a unilateral move aimed at coercion.
The measure, signed into effect by President Donald Trump on September 5, establishes a designation of “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” modeled on Washington’s terrorism blacklist. Countries targeted could face sanctions, export restrictions, and travel bans for officials linked to detentions. In rare cases, the U.S. could even bar its own citizens from visiting nations placed on the list.
While no nations have yet been formally designated, a senior U.S. official said China, Iran and Afghanistan were under review for what Washington calls “persistent hostage diplomacy.”
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry rejected the accusation outright. “China is a country governed by the rule of law, and there is absolutely no question of so-called wrongful detention,” spokesman Lin Jian told reporters. He accused Washington of hypocrisy, saying practices such as coercive diplomacy and unilateral sanctions were “monopolies of the United States.”
Lin added that China “welcomes citizens and enterprises from all countries to visit and conduct business in China.”
Under former U.S. President Joe Biden, China released all Americans considered wrongfully detained, partly in exchange for Washington easing travel advisories that had dampened business ties.
The U.S. already imposes a strict ban on travel to North Korea, introduced after American student Otto Warmbier’s detention in 2016 and death following his release in 2017. The new detention blacklist could expand those restrictions to additional countries if implemented as signaled.