New sanctions against Chinese government officials and businesses said to be involved in supporting Beijing's claims to most of the South China Sea were imposed in the waning days of the Trump administration on unidentified officials and leading companies in telecoms, aviation and energy.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued the sanctions with only six days before the Trump administration officially bows out.
"The United States stands with Southeast Asian claimant states seeking to defend their sovereign rights and interests, consistent with international law," according to Pompeo. "We will continue to act until we see Beijing cease its coercive behavior in the South China Sea."
Targeted Chinese officials and their families could face actions from being banned from entering the U.S. for what are said to be violations of international standards covering the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
The latest Trump administration salvo against China also includes blacklists on access to sensitive U.S. equipment sales or services to Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi Corp., state-owned plane maker Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd., and China National Offshore Oil Corp. because of ties to China's military which has supported efforts to claim islands in the South China Sea.
In July 2020, the Trump administration said the U.S. rejects virtually all of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea, which were declared illegal in 2016 by an International Court of Arbitration.
China rejected the court's jurisdiction and reiterated a "Nine-dash line" of areas in the South China Sea that Beijing says are historically part of its extended coastal shelf, but which are also claimed by other countries in Southeast Asia such as Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia.
President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to remain tough on China under a more coherent diplomatic strategy of working with allies and Beijing on issues of agreement. But sudden changes or reversals of Trump administration policies are not expected when he takes office on Jan. 20.
