China Sanctions Dozens of Trump Officials Minutes After Joe Biden Becomes President

China’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday imposed sanctions on 28 individuals associated with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump for allegedly violating Chinese sovereignty.

“China has decided to sanction 28 persons who have seriously violated China’s sovereignty and who have been mainly responsible for such U.S. moves on China-related issues,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement posted to its official website on January 20.

“These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland [China], Hong Kong and Macao of China. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China,” the statement read.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Announces Sanctions on Pompeo and Others:
🔗https://t.co/DE8JOonqbo pic.twitter.com/gJJm3eViF0

— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) January 20, 2021

The sanctioned individuals include former members of Trump’s administration, including Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo; Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy Peter K. Navarro; National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien; Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell; Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar II; Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Keith J. Krach; U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly D. K. Craft; U.S. National Security Advisor John R. Bolton; and White House Chief Strategist Stephen K. Bannon.

China’s foreign ministry accused the sanctioned individuals of promoting “anti-China” policies over the past four years while serving in Trump’s administration. President Trump’s term in office officially ended January 20 at noon, moments before China announced the sanctions on his policy advisors.

“Over the past few years, some anti-China politicians in the United States, out of their selfish political interests and prejudice and hatred against China and showing no regard for the interests of the Chinese and American people, have planned, promoted and executed a series of crazy moves which have gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s interests, offended the Chinese people, and seriously disrupted China-U.S. relations,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alleged in its statement Wednesday.

“The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend China’s national sovereignty, security and development interests,” the ministry added.

Iran joined China in announcing sanctions against members of the Trump administration Wednesday, including President Donald Trump himself, for allegedly promoting terrorism.

Iran is the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism.

“The Iranian Foreign Ministry added a number of American individuals to its sanctions list for committing terrorist crimes, promoting and supporting terrorism, which is a serious threat to regional and international peace and security, and for violating basic rules and fundamental principles of international law, including human rights,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement.

Tehran sanctioned many of the same U.S. officials whom China targeted on Wednesday, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with the addition of President Trump.

“The US officials have been blacklisted for their full support for the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression against the Palestinian people, particularly the regime’s terrorist move in assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh,” Khatibzadeh said, referring to Iran’s claim that Israel assassinated Fakhrizadeh via remote-controlled weapon in November.

President Trump’s administration repeatedly sanctioned Iranian government and military officials for supporting “terrorist entities.”