James Carafano: Chinas sanctions on US officials are an attempt to scare the world

On Monday, the Chinese Communist Government slapped sanctions on members of Congress as well as a U. S. ambassador. This action is intended to send the world a message: Fear us. The free worlds response should be to man up. Beijings action came after recent U. S. legislation calling for sanctions on Chinese officials over their systematic abuse of the Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Were talking about systematic and horrific human rights violations, including the mass detention of over a million Chinese citizens, religious persecution, exploitation of slave labor and forced sterilization. HELEN RALEIGH: TRUMP ADMIN ON CHINAS HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES TOUGH STANCE DESERVES CREDITLast week, these inhumane practices led the Trump administration to impose sanctions on four individuals, including Politburo member Chen Quanguo, the highest-ranking Chinese official ever called out by Washington. Chen is also Party secretary of Xinjiang Province, where the Uighur detention camps are located. The other three officials sanctioned are also tied to Xinjiang. China announced its corresponding sanctions on Monday. Three of those targeted are Sens. Ted Cruz,R-Texas,and Marco Rubio,R-Fla. ,and Rep. Chris Smith,R-N. J. , who led the legislative efforts to punish Beijing. Also named by Beijing were U. S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. This is not just Beijing playing tit-for-tat with Washington. The Chinese action comes on the heels of an aggressive new national security law that significantly restricts the economic and political freedoms long enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong. The Chinese regime has also engaged in an aggressive diplomatic and propaganda effort during the COVID-19 crisis, evading responsibilities for its own failures, while threatening other nations for not siding with China. The highly hostile approach now being pursued