Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- According to a statement from the US State Department, the American side has stopped 5 cultural exchange programs with China.

These included: 1) an educational travel program for politicians; 2) the US-China Friendship Program; 3) a leader exchange program; 4) the US-China Trans-Pacific Exchange Program; 5) Hong Kong educational and cultural program.

According to US Secretary of State M. Pompeo, "the programs are funded and used by Beijing as propaganda tools." As specified, these programs were carried out by the PRC under the guise of "cultural exchange" and made it possible for US civil servants to travel abroad with foreign funds. The head of the State Department stressed that the United States welcomes "mutual and honest" exchange with the PRC, not "unilateral" programs.

Experts note that in early September M. Pompeo made a statement that “in the medium and long term, the biggest external threat to the United States is the current regime in China - the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of Xi Jinping. The CCP and its henchmen seek to make Americans susceptible to the Chinese form of authoritarianism."

Against this background, the United States has recently continued to take restrictive measures against Chinese officials under various pretexts - for the oppression of national minorities, infringement of human rights, violation of Hong Kong’s autonomy, etc.

On 4 December 2020, the US State Department has introduced visa restrictions for a number of officials of the United Front Department of the CPC Central Committee. Washington claims that the structure funds organizations to propagandize and intimidate those who oppose Beijing’s policies.

In general, according to experts, the restrictive measures taken by the administration of President Donald Trump against China indicate that the US-Chinese confrontation is expanding, covering more and more areas, including cultural and humanitarian cooperation. In these conditions, experts believe that tension in relations between the United States and China will be long-term.