MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. The United States seeks to punish China for its independent position, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.

"It seems that Beijing is the next candidate to be torn into pieces twice," she noted. "The new US blacklist concerning ‘crimes against Uyghurs’ marks another step on the road of illegal unilateral sanctions. There is no other goal but to shackle Beijing for not following in the footsteps of the US," Zakharova added. According to her, the US first started ramping up Sinophobia when it tried to blame China for the coronavirus pandemic.

Zakharova pointed out that Russia had to face a similar situation when the US had passed the Magnitsky Act. "It contains the same things, including visa restrictions for human rights violations in Russia. And now, it is about visa restrictions for human rights violations in China," she said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Monday that Washington was imposing sanctions on Chinese officials "for their involvement in repressive acts against members of ethnic and religious minority groups and religious and spiritual practitioners inside and outside of China’s borders, including within the United States." He called on Beijing to end "its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, repressive policies in Tibet, crackdown on fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong".