The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of people and entities over alleged rights abuses, including Chinese nationals and Iranian officials.<br />''<br />''The US Treasury Department yesterday said it imposed sanctions on Li Zhenyu and Zhuo Xinrong, both Chinese nationals, and 10 entities linked to the them, including Nasdaq-listed Pingtan Marine Enterprise (PME) over human rights abuses tied to China-based illegal fishing. The designation of PME marks the first time the US has imposed sanctions on an entity listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange.<br />''<br />''Washington also targeted 157 China-flagged fishing vessels linked to the sanctioned entities.<br />''<br />''President Joe Biden in June signed a national security memorandum to fight illegal fishing.Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson, said in a statement that these designations demonstrate how seriously US take the problem of illicit fishing and their commitment to holding the perpetrators of serious human rights abuses to account.<br />''<br />''In separate action, the Treasury also designated 40 individuals and entities connected to alleged human rights abuse or corruption across nine countries, including China and Iran. <br />