For the UK and the EU, the sanctions are part of the mounting global pressure to resolve its human rights issues in the buildup to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which are set to be held in Beijing.
Last week, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada imposed a coordinated joint set of sanctions against a number of Chinese officials involved in the human rights abuses of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province.
The sanctions were the first time in 32 years that the EU or the UK have imposed punishments on China over human rights concerns. The last sanctions from the European countries took their form in the 1989 EU arms embargo that followed the Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The officials impacted by the sanctions include Wang Junzheng, head of Xinjiang production and construction corps, and Chen Mingguo, the director of the public security bureau in Xinjiang.
UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab called the human rights violations in Xinjiang “the largest mass detention of an ethnic and religious group since the second world war.” Raab added that the indication of repression in the province “is clear as it is sobering.”
Activists and experts estimate that at least one million Muslims are detained in Xinjiang camps, claims that have been denied by China, which says that the camps provide vocational training.
“Amid growing international condemnation, [China] continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,” said Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, in a press statement. “The United States reiterates its calls on the PRC to bring an end to the repression of Uyghurs, who are predominantly Muslim, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”
For the US, these sanctions come in addition to a number of sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong over the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
The sanctions also added tension to the summit held in Alaska between American and Chinese officials. During the summit, officials from the US harshly criticized the Chinese for violating international norms in their crackdown on Uyghurs, as well as their cyberattacks against the US and “economic coercion.” Chinese officials rebutted the criticism, saying that the US has human rights issues of its own and should stay out of China’s internal affairs.
Though the remarks were intended to be part of a brief photo-op, what ensued was a diplomatic spat that lasted over an hour, all in front of cameras. Such public debates marked a shift from the pleasantries that normally occur in the public eye.
For the UK and the EU, the sanctions are part of the mounting global pressure to resolve its human rights issues in the buildup to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which are set to be held in Beijing.
Following the sanctions set down on March 22, China imposed retaliatory sanctions on European entities and individuals, including members of the European parliament and nine British citizens.
On Saturday, China also struck back at the US and Canada by imposing retaliatory sanctions on three citizens in the US and Canada. The new sanctions target the chair and vice-chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins, and Canadian lawmaker Michael Chong.
“The Chinese government is firmly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and urges the relevant parties to clearly understand the situation and redress their mistakes,” said the Chinese foreign ministry. “They must stop political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs in any form and refrain from going farther down the wrong path. Otherwise they will get their fingers burnt.”
Secretary Blinken immediately called the sanctions “baseless,” elaborating that China’s “attempts to intimidate and silence those speaking out for human rights and fundamental freedoms only contribute to the growing international scrutiny of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang.”
Blinken’s comments were reinforced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who on Twitter called the sanctions “an attack on transparency and freedom of expression,” adding that “we will continue to defend human rights around the world with our international partners.”
In addition to the official sanctions, China also moved to limit foreign influence within the country. The country has blocked the previously limited BBC broadcasts within the country in recent days and last week called for a boycott of Swedish clothing chain H&M.
Other companies with established presences in China, such as Nike and Burberry, have seen severed endorsement deals and targeted ads online. Additionally, two Canadians have been put on trial for what seems to be a strike against Canada’s detention of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou.
“For a lengthy period of time, the US, UK, and others have felt free to say whatever they like without allowing others to do the same,” said Hua Chunying, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Hua added that the West will “have to gradually get used to it.”
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