China retaliates: US, Canadian individuals are banned over Xinjiang issue
China has imposed sanctions on a number of American and Canadian officials, reciprocating a similar move by the United States and Canada over allegations of human rights violations in the western Chinese state of Xinjiang.
In a statement on Saturday, China’s Foreign Ministry announced that Beijing had imposed sanctions on the chair and vice-chair of the US government’s advisory Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins.
It said the Chinese government had sanctioned Canadian member of parliament Michael Chong, who is the vice-chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) as well as the FAAE’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
Earlier this month, the eight-member FAAE presented a report, concluding that the alleged atrocities in Xinjiang constitute “crimes against humanity.”
The said individuals are now banned from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau, the statement added, stressing that henceforth, Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with the individuals or having any exchanges with the subcommittee.
The mostly Muslim-Turkic ethnic group of Uighurs, which makes up about 45 percent of the population in Xinjiang, has long accused the government in Beijing of discrimination. China rejects the allegations and, in turn, accuses what it describes as exiled separatist groups of planning attacks in the resource-rich Xinjiang, which is strategically located on the borders of Central Asia.
“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,” the foreign ministry said.
“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,” the statement added.
According to the ministry, China’s previous sanctions on American individuals who have seriously undermined its sovereignty and interests on Xinjiang-related issues remain in effect.
China has repeatedly warned against interference in its domestic affairs.
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