Several western nations have clubbed together to announce sanctions against officials in China over rights abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group.
The sanctions were announced as part of a coordinated effort by the United Kingdom, European Union, Canada and the United States.
China has responded with sanctions of its own against European officials, they also deny any wrong-doing or human rights abuses saying the new wave of sanctions were “based on nothing but lies and disinformation”.
However, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the abuse of the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang was “one of the worst human rights crises of our time” and the international community “cannot simply look the other way”.
He went on to say the treatment of Uighurs amounted to “appalling violations of the most basic human rights”.
The move could be seen as a significant escalation with tensions growing between the west and China, the European Union has not imposed new sanctions on China over human rights abuses since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
The latest sanctions include travel bans and asset freezes targeting senior officials in Xinjiang who have been accused of responsibility for abuses against Uighurs.
In response, China said it would sanction 10 people and four entities in the EU “that severely harm China’s sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation” in response.
Under the sanctions, the European officials are barred from entering China or doing business with it.
Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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