Prosecutors for the U.S. Justice Department accuse five people working on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security of conspiring to spy on and intimidate several dissidents living in the United States, such as the father of Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, and Tiananmen Square protest leader and current congressional candidate Xiong Yan. The department says it is the first time that federal elections in the country have been interfered with in this manner. Three have been arrested while two remain at large. 2022-03-16
President Joe Biden signs the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region citing concerns about the use of forced labour. China denies human rights abuses in Xinjiang. 2021-12-23
2021 arrests of Hong Kong pro-democracy primaries participants2021-07-16
The outgoing Trump administration declares that China has committed genocide against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minority groups. 2021-01-19
The Chinese foreign ministry announces it would reciprocate the sanctions that the U.S. State Department imposed earlier this month onto its senior diplomats visiting the U.S., by also imposing similar countermeasures to U.S. diplomats in China. 2020-09-11
United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announces new restrictions on senior Chinese diplomats visiting the U.S., requiring them to secure an approval from U.S. authorities to meet with local government officials or to visit universities and colleges in the country. Pompeo describes the restrictions as a "reciprocal move" after the Chinese government had imposed similar restrictions on U.S. officials. 2020-09-2
The U.S. State Department formally rejects most of China's maritime claims in the South China Sea. 2020-07-13
China's People's Liberation Army Navy seizes an underwater drone deployed by USNS "Bowditch" in the South China Sea; the United States files a formal diplomatic protest and a demand for its return. 2016-12-16
In a Peking University speech in Beijing, US Pacific Command commander, Admiral Harry Harris, says the U.S. Navy’s freedom-of-navigation patrols in the South China Sea are routine operations intended to demonstrate respect for international law principles. Harris reiterated they should not be construed as a threat to any country while emphasizing America's common ground with China. 2015-11-3