Orwellian nonsense: US warns China, says stop threatening American citizens

The United States strongly objects to China's attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature, says America.

Washington: The US on Saturday termed as "Orwellian nonsense" China's attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content and asked Beijing to stop threatening American carriers and citizens.

On April 25, the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration sent a letter to 36 foreign air carriers, including a number of American carriers.

The notice demanded that carriers change how Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao are identified on their websites and in their promotional material so that the references fall in line with the Communist Party's standards, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

"The United States strongly objects to China's attempts to compel private firms to use specific language of a political nature in their publicly available content. We call on China to stop threatening and coercing American carriers and citizens," she said in a strongly worded statement.

Noting that President Donald Trump ran against political correctness in the US, Sanders said he will stand up for Americans resisting efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to impose Chinese political correctness on American companies and citizens.

"This is Orwellian nonsense and part of a growing trend by the Chinese Communist Party to impose its political views on American citizens and private companies," Sanders said.

"China's internal Internet repression is world-famous. China's efforts to export its censorship and political correctness to Americans and the rest of the free world will be resisted," she said.

Sanders said the US respected the broad freedom private companies have in their interactions with their customers, both in the US and abroad.

"This respect is essential for a robust global marketplace," she said.