Mike Pompeo Photo: AFP

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the early hours of Thursday announced it would sanction 28 officials and members of the former Trump administration who have "seriously violated" China's sovereignty. Those on the sanctions list include former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, Trump's trade advisor Peter Navarro and national security adviser Robert O'Brien. Republican lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to make a more forceful response toward China's sanctions, saying "coercion will not be tolerated." Some analyses in the US hold that Beijing's announcement of sanctions is meant to intimidate and lay down the rules for the Biden administration 

Apparently, they hope to see a clash between the Biden administration and China. It must be pointed out that China imposed sanctions on officials of the Trump administration because they seriously damaged China's national interests. Pompeo and others stepped up their crazy attacks on China in their last moments in office, digging a hole for the new US administration's future relations with China. It's fair to say they are unpardonably evil, and deserve punishment. 

Those sanctioned and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China. The sanctions will influence some of these former officials' plans to make profit by working for US enterprises and institutions through the revolving door. The sanctions are not empty, but a "tiger with teeth." 

Beijing has made it clear that it hopes to dialogue with the Biden administration and bring the two countries back to the track of cooperation. China doesn't have the will or need to show a tough stance, or provoke the US at this time. 

Provoking and testing others is not the Chinese style of doing things. Pompeo and others have acted too viciously against China. They must pay the price in the end. This is China's unwavering attitude. 

Gone are the days that the US was the only side to sanction the other's institutions and personnel between China and the US. Moreover, with China's national strength growing, and given the fact that many US politicians join the revolving door to make profits, China's sanctions will surely become more effective and deterrent. 

The Trump administration has led China-US relations astray. The Republicans want to continue to manipulate the Democratic administration's China policy, and the radical Congress aims to gain more say in relations with China. All this will push the Biden administration to fall into the trap set by politicians like Pompeo, leading to a scenario that Biden has to follow the rules of Trump or even of Pompeo. 

Pompeo tweeted Thursday "1,384 days," arousing wide speculation that he was starting a countdown to the next US presidential election and intends to take part in it. The holes Pompeo has dug up in China-US relations represent his wish to return to politics. Some Republicans obviously attempt to turn the first day of the Biden administration as the starting point of the next presidential election. They also want to trap the Biden administration in the minefield laid by them. 

  

We hope the Biden administration has enough wisdom to navigate the minefield and not be led by the nose. As for China's sanctions on Pompeo and others, the Biden administration shouldn't be misled by Republicans to pay for politicians like Pompeo who have wrought havoc on governance. In that case, it falls into their trap. Pompeo and others will try their best to hijack US public opinion and dictate diplomacy with China, until they return to office one day. 

China punished those former US officials, putting an end to the entanglement with them and clearing them out of China-US relations. We don't want them to have a role in bilateral relations any more, nor do we hope to see their shadows to haunt the Biden administration in its China policy. Trump and Pompeo's words and rules shouldn't be taken into consideration when China and the US develop relations in the next four years. Those arrogant saboteurs should be completely eradicated from China-US relations. The bilateral ties should return to the normal track, rationality and common sense. 

There are a great number of areas China and the US need to restore and set up cooperation. The bilateral relations should break up the shackles set by the Trump administration. We should completely smash Trump and Pompeo's conspiracy and put the interests of people of both China and the US in an overwhelming position. Selfish politicians like Pompeo will eventually become a laughing stock in history.