US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced that the US will be imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials at the United Front Work Department, whom he accused of engaging in "malign activities" purportedly targeting those who oppose Beijing's policies.
Today I announced visa restrictions on United Front Work Department officials who have engaged in malign activities to co-opt and coerce those who oppose Beijing’s policies. We call on the PRC to end its use of coercion to suppress freedom of expression.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) December 4, 2020
Pompeo did not specify who from the organisation's ranks will be sanctioned, or whether its entire staff will be banned from entering the US.
The United Front Work Department is responsible for the Chinese Communist Party's contacts with groups and communities not directly related to the CCP, such as Chinese overseas communities, as well as commercial and scholar groups that Beijing is interested in cooperating with. However, critics claim that the UFWD is the CCP's tool for recruiting useful allies and dividing its opponents.
The new round of sanctions comes a day after the US government issued new visa restrictions for CCP members and their families, imposing limits on how long they can stay in the country. The Department of State cited the party's "malign influence" and alleged attempts to "influence Americans through propaganda, economic coercion, and other nefarious activities" as a reason for the restrictions. Washington has repeatedly accused China of suppressing freedoms and violating human rights in regards to the protests in Hong Kong and alleged prison camps in Xinjiang.