WASHINGTON, Dec 1 Reuters A bipartisan group of more than 40 U.S. senators warned China on Thursday against any violent crackdown on protests there, saying it would do extraordinary damage to the U.S.China relationship.

The 42 senators, led by Democrats Dan Sullivan and Jeff Merkley and Republicans Mitch McConnell and Todd Young, said in a letter to China39;s Washington ambassador Qin Gang that they were following the protests in China very carefully.

We are also closely watching the Chinese Communist Party39;s CCP reaction to them, the senators39; letter said, noting Beijing39;s violent crackdown on student protesters in 1989 that they said killed hundreds, if not thousands of people.

We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. If that happens, we believe there will be grave consequences for the U.S.China relationship, causing extraordinary damage to it, the letter said.

China has been rocked in recent days by widespread protests against the world39;s toughest COVID19 quarantine protocols, a show of public defiance unprecedented in since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.

Three decades ago, in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the United States and many Western governments imposed sanctions against China over the killings.

Last year, the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials…