The United States has no right to interfere with the cooperation between China and Thailand as the two sovereign nations continue to crack down on human smuggling and other cross-border crimes, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday.

She added that such cooperation is in line with the domestic laws of both countries as well as international law and common practices.

The remark came in response to moves by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced on Friday sanctions that include visa restrictions for Thai government officials involved in the deportation cooperation.

Noting the 40 Chinese nationals, under “wrong influence”, illegally crossed the border and ended up stranded in Thailand, where they were detained for over a decade, Mao said the Chinese government has the obligation and responsibility to protect its citizens and help them reunite with their families and resume normal lives.

By politicising this issue, the United States is applying double standards and trying to suppress others, Mao said, adding the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported the removal of over 270,000 non-citizens to 192 different countries during the 2024 fiscal year, marking the highest level of deportations since 2014.

The United States on the one hand engages in indiscriminate deportation against illegal immigrants, yet on the other points fingers at and smears other countries’ legitimate law enforcement cooperation, and slaps sanctions and puts pressure on others, said the spokesperson. “This is typical bullying.”

Mao said China strongly condemns all ill-intentioned vilification and illegal sanctions against China and Thailand, and firmly opposes the United States’ manipulation of Xinjiang-related issues under the pretext of human rights, interfering in China’s domestic affairs, and disrupting the normal law enforcement cooperation between China and relevant countries.

“China will continue to enhance communication and coordination with relevant countries on the basis of mutual respect and equal-footed consultation, protect the lawful rights and interests of Chinese citizens and work for stronger international law enforcement cooperation,” Mao said.

The spokesperson did not mention that the 40 persons repatriated to China last month were of Uyghur ethnicity.

— In association with Asia News Network