U.S. enacts travel bans on Chinese officials who limit access to Tibet

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced visa restrictions on Tuesday for Chinese officials whom the Trump administration believes are restricting foreigners’ access to Tibet, limiting or eliminating those officials' ability to travel to the U.S., AP reports.

Why it matters: The travel ban comes as the U.S. rebukes China for its passage of a new security law which circumvents Hong Kong's independent legal system, for China's human rights abuses in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and global trade practices.

What they're saying: In a statement, Pompeo accused China of obstructing the travel of foreign diplomats, journalists and tourists to Tibet, an autonomous region of China, while Chinese visitors “enjoy far greater access to the United States.”

• “Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the PRC’s human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing’s failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers,” Pompeo said, according to AP.
• He did not name who specifically would be impacted by the restrictions nor did he disclose how many officials will be affected.

Go deeper: A swift Hong Kong decoupling looms