China has stated that it “firmly opposes” a move by United States President Donald Trump to create a new blacklist of countries accused of unjustly detaining American citizens, warning that the measure unfairly targets Beijing.
In an executive order signed on Friday, Trump directed the State Department to designate “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” a label modelled on the designation for state sponsors of terrorism.
The measure would allow Washington to impose sanctions, export controls, and visa bans on officials linked to such detentions.
A senior US official said China, Iran, and Afghanistan are among countries under review for what the administration described as “persistent participation in hostage diplomacy.”
The blacklist could also bar US citizens from travelling to countries designated under the policy, a step Washington rarely takes.
Beijing’s foreign ministry rejected the measure outright on Monday.
“China is a country governed by the rule of law, and there is absolutely no question of so-called wrongful detention,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters.
“As is known to all, wrongful detention, arbitrary detention, coercive diplomacy, long-arm jurisdiction, and unilateral sanctions are all monopolies of the United States,” Lin added, accusing Washington of hypocrisy.
He stressed that China “welcomes citizens and enterprises from all countries to visit and conduct business,” dismissing claims of targeting foreign nationals.
The US has historically imposed travel restrictions only sparingly, with North Korea the sole country currently subject to a blanket ban following the 2016 detention of American student Otto Warmbier, who later died after his release in a vegetative state.
Under former President Joe Biden, China freed all Americans labelled as wrongfully detained. This followed diplomatic exchanges that saw Washington soften its travel warnings against Beijing, advice that had negatively impacted business ties.
