China hits back after sanctions imposed by West

BEIJING • China's Foreign Ministry said yesterday that it had summoned the European Union's ambassador, Mr Nicolas Chapuis, to make a "solemn protest" against sanctions the bloc imposed on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in far western Xinjiang.

In a statement, the ministry said Vice-Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Mr Chapuis the EU should recognise the seriousness of its error and correct it to prevent further damage to ties with China.

The United States, the EU, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials on Monday for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the first such coordinated Western action against Beijing under new US President Joe Biden.

The EU sanctioned four Chinese officials, including a top security director, for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

Beijing hit back immediately with punitive measures against the EU that appeared broader and included European lawmakers, diplomats, institutes and families. Their businesses are also banned from trading with China.

German politician Reinhard Buetikofer, who chairs the European Parliament's delegation to China, was among the most high-profile figures to be hit.

The non-profit Alliance of Democracies Foundation, founded by former Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was also on the list, according to a statement from the Chinese ministry.

Dutch lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma, who was also on China's sanctions list, said on Twitter: "As long as human rights are being violated, I cannot stay silent. These sanctions prove that China is sensitive to pressure. Let this be an encouragement to all my European colleagues: Speak out!"

China has accused those sanctioned of seriously harming the country's sovereignty and interests over Xinjiang. They are restricted from entering China or doing business with it.

The EU had earlier sanctioned Mr Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, accusing him of "arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uighurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, as well as systematic violations of their freedom of religion or belief".

Others hit with travel bans and asset freezes were senior Chinese official Wang Mingshan; the former deputy party secretary in Xinjiang, Mr Zhu Hailun; and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau. Britain imposed sanctions on the same four officials as the EU.

The EU has, till now, sought to avoid confrontation with Beijing, and Monday's sanctions were the bloc's first significant measures since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, although Brussels had targeted two computer hackers and a technology company last year as part of broader cyber sanctions.

The Netherlands summoned China's ambassador to The Hague after Beijing announced its measures on 10 Europeans, while the European Parliament, along with German and Belgian and other foreign ministers, rejected the Chinese retaliation.

Canada's Foreign Ministry said: "Mounting evidence points to systemic, state-led human rights violations by Chinese authorities."

Australia and New Zealand have also said that there was clear evidence of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and that they welcomed the sanctions imposed on Chinese officials by other Western nations.

In a joint statement yesterday, the Australian and New Zealand foreign ministers said they were concerned about credible reports of abuses against ethnic Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

"In particular, there is clear evidence of severe human rights abuses that include restrictions on freedom of religion, mass surveillance, large-scale extrajudicial detentions, as well as forced labour and forced birth control, including sterilisation," the statement said.

REUTERS