The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the sanctions around the time of US President Joe Biden's inauguration and said it would work to cooperate with Biden's new administration.

But a spokeswoman for Biden's National Security Council on Wednesday called the sanctions quote unproductive and cynical and an attempt to play too partisan divides, urging both Republicans and Democrats to condemn the action.

In its statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Pompeo and others had quote gravely interfered in China's internal affairs, undermined China's interests, offended the Chinese people and seriously disrupted China US relations.

The move reflected China's anger over an accusation Pompeo made on his final day in office that China had committed genocide against weaker Muslims in its Xinjiang region.

Biden Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Tuesday he agreed with that assessment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying dismissed Pompeo's allegations Wednesday, calling him a laughing stock and a clown.

China's latest decision comes after Trump imposed sanctions on Chinese officials in companies last week for alleged misdeeds in the South China Sea the 28 X officials and their immediate family members being sanctioned also include trade chief Peter Navarro, national security advisers Robert O'Brien and John Bolton, Health Secretary Alex as our U.

N.

Ambassador Kelly Craft and former top Trump aide Steve Bannon.

The sanctions bar them from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau, and companies associated with them would be restricted from doing business with China.

China has repeatedly rejected accusations of abuse in Xinjiang, where a United Nations panel has estimated at least one million ethnic leaguers and other Muslims have been detained in camps.