US imposes sweeping sanctions on China, Myanmar and North Korea

The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced new sanctions on dozens of people and entities in China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and North Korea, accusing them of human rights violations.

The United States Department of Treasury on Friday also added Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime Group to an investment blacklist.

SenseTime, a leading developer of facial recognition technology, was placed on a list of “Chinese military-industrial complex companies” in which Americans are banned from investing. The firm is accused of having developed facial recognition programs that can determine a target’s ethnicity, with a particular focus on identifying ethnic Uyghurs.

Canada and the United Kingdom also joined the United States in imposing sanctions related to human rights abuses in Myanmar, where the military has persecuted Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic minorities.

Turmoil has gripped Myanmar since de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) were ousted on February 1 through a military coup, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement.

The junta in Myanmar seized power over alleged fraud in general elections won by Suu Kyi's party in November 2020. The allegations of fraud have been dismissed by the former electoral commission.

The US also imposed the first new sanctions on North Korea under the Biden administration and targeted Myanmar military entities, among others, in action marking Human Rights Day.

"Our actions today, particularly those in partnership with the United Kingdom and Canada, send a message that democracies around the world will act against those who abuse the power of the state to inflict suffering and repression," Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

The Chinese embassy in Washington denounced the United States move as "serious interference in China's internal affairs" and a "severe violation of basic norms governing international relations."

US to bar investment in Chinese AI giant, ban exports to top chipmaker: Report

US officials plan to ban American investment in Chinese artificial intelligence giant SenseTime Group Inc. and to block China’s largest chip maker SMIC from buying US manufacturing tools

Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said it would do "grave harm to China-U.S. relations" and called on the Biden administration to overturn the decision.

Relations between the US and China have been strained over a range of issues from trade to security to COVID-19 pandemic.

Although Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a virtual summit last month, it produced no significant breakthroughs.

Last month, China lashed out at the US for its decision to add dozens of Chinese companies to a trade blacklist, saying the move violated a consensus reached between Biden and Xi.

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