US lawmakers have introduced a bill that calls for a ban on the use of term ‘President’ for the Chinese leader in its official documents. The bill has been introduced by Republican Rep Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, oyogist.com reports.
The relations between US-China soured soon after the blame game started in the wake of the global pandemic coronavirus. Last week, the already dwindling relations took a new hit after US President Donald Trump called off trade talks with China stating that he doesn’t want to talk to Beijing right now.
The newly introduced bill, termed Name the Enemy Act, has received support from a few other Republican lawmakers including Rep Ted Yoho of Florida, reported South China Morning Post.
As per the bill, instead of using the term President for Chinese leader, the US official documents would be required to refer the head of the state according to his or her role as head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). As per the outlet, the legislation also prohibits the use of federal funds for the “creation or dissemination” of official documents and communications that refer to the China’s leader as ‘president’.
The outlet further quoted the newly introduced bill which stated: “Addressing the head of state of the People’s Republic of China as a “president” grants the incorrect assumption that the people of the state, via democratic means, have readily legitimised the leader who rules them.”
Chinese Media Alleges that Bill Singles Out China
Last month, US had clamped down on the Houston-based Chinese Consulate over suspicions of spying. In retaliation, Chinese authorities had ordered closure of the US embassy located in Chengdu, one of country’s remote inland regions that served primarily as visa-issuing office for Chinese nationals planning to visit US.
Alleging that the bill is targeting only China, SCMP quoted Anna Ashton, head of government affairs at the US-China Business Council, saying that the bill “formalises something that we’ve been taking note of in administration statements.”
Chinese leader Xi Jinping presently holds three official titles including head of state, chairman of the central military commission, and general secretary of the CCP, reported the outlet.
