US to end cultural programs with China
The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit, January 18, 2011. Hu arrived in the United States on Tuesday for a state visit with U.S. President Barack Obama that is aimed at strengthening ties between the world's two biggest economies. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)
Washington, 6th December: The United States has ended five cultural programmes with China in further escalation.
According to reports from international media, the exiting Trump administration has ended five cultural-exchange programmes with China.
The Trump administration claims that they have ended the cultural programmes between the two countries as they were only being used for Chinese propaganda and had no benefit to the United States.
Washington announced the new visa restrictions following the termination, and limited stay in the US by members of China’s Communist Party and signal further erosion in relations with Beijing in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s time in office.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the exchange programmes he ended were fully paid for and operated by the Chinese government as soft power propaganda tools.
He said in a statement late on Friday that they provided carefully curated access to Chinese Communist Party officials, not to the Chinese people, who do not enjoy freedoms of speech and assembly.
The State Department terminated the Policymakers Educational China Trip Programme, the US-China Friendship Programme, the US-China Leadership Exchange Programme, the US-China Transpacific Exchange Programme and the Hong Kong Educational and Cultural Programme.
Reports said that this past week, the US announced new time limits on visas for members of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, cutting the period their travel documents are valid to one month from 10 years.
The Trump administration has taken some severe measures against China as disputes between two superpowers sharpen over human rights, the coronavirus pandemic, trade, technology, Taiwan and many other issues.
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