US and allies hit China with sanctions for ‘forcing Uighurs into concentration camps’
THE United States joined with the UK, Canada and the EU on Monday to announce sanctions against two Chinese officials for “serious human rights abuses” against Uighur Muslims.
The Treasury Department in a statement branded the officials as “perpetrators of serious human rights abuse and corruption” against ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
The officials were named as Wang Junzheng, the Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and Chen Mingguo, Director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.
“Chinese authorities will continue to face consequences as long as atrocities occur in Xinjiang,” said the US Treasury Department’s Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control Andrea M. Gacki.
“Treasury is committed to promoting accountability for the Chinese government’s human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture, against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.”
The department in Monday’s statement accused China of using repressive tactics against the Uighurs over the past five years.
These tactics included mass detention and surveillance.
“Targets of this surveillance are often detained and reportedly subjected to various methods of torture and political reeducation,” it said.
“Amid growing international condemnation, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“We will continue to stand with our allies around the world in calling for an immediate end to the PRC’s crimes and for justice for the many victims.”
The Treasury Department added that two other individuals and two entities are also being sanctioned due to their connections with the Burma military and its violent repression of pro-democracy protests.
The Chinese sanctions on Monday comes just days after Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had a tense meeting with senior Chinese officials.
The discussion became heated after the US officials objected to Beijing’s human rights abuses and territorial aggression.
The EU had already announced sanctions earlier on Monday against four officials, sparking a tit for tat with China.
Most read in News
The Chinese immediately responded with sanctions against 10 EU politicians and four entities for “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation.”
The officials will be banned from entering mainland China or Hong Kong.
China has rejected claims from the US that it is guilty of genocide against Uighurs.
More to follow…
For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online.
The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS.
* Read the full story...This article was originally published h
Who will be Next to leave the EU? Check out who is leading in our exclusive poll Poll
Comments
Post a Comment