China sanctions Reagan Library, Hudson Institute over Taiwan president visit

April 7 (UPI) -- China on Friday sanctioned a pair of U.S. institutions that hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during her recent visit to the United States, which Beijing angrily protested.

Beijing's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it was taking "countermeasures" against the Washington-based think tank Hudson Institute and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., banning both from any financial exchanges or cooperation with entities in China.

The Reagan Library hosted a meeting between Tsai and a U.S. Congressional delegation led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday, while the Taiwanese leader received the Hudson Institute's Global Leadership Award in New York last week.

The two institutions "provided a platform and convenience for Tsai Ing-wen to engage in 'Taiwan independence' separatist activities in the United States," a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Playing host to Tsai "seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ministry added.

Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province and has vowed to seize control of it by force if necessary. The democratic island of 23 million has never been part of the mainland People's Republic of China, which was founded in 1949, and rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

China has looked to isolate Taipei diplomatically and on Thursday reacted furiously to the meeting between Tsai and the U.S. lawmakers, calling it "the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations" and deploying warships and aircraft near Taiwan.

On Friday, China again sent warships into waters near Taiwan while a fighter jet and an anti-submarine helicopter crossed the island's air defense identification zone, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said.

Beijing also extended sanctions against Taiwan representative to the United States Hsiao Bi-Khim on Friday, according to its Taiwan Affairs Office, calling her a "diehard Taiwan independence element." Hsiao was previously blacklisted in the wake of an August visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the sanctions "irrational and absurd" on Friday.

"It is the fundamental right of a sovereign state for our head of state to make visits and conduct diplomatic activities, and China has no right to comment," the ministry said in a statement.