China on Saturday announced new sanctions against US and Canadian officials in a growing political and economic dispute over its policies in the largely Muslim region of Xinjiang.
A statement from the State Department states that the head of the Commission for International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin, will be prohibited from visiting China or its territory in Hong Kong or Macao and interacting with Chinese financial entities.
The deputy head of the committee, Tony Perkins, was also placed on the sanctions list, along with Canadian MP Michael Chong and the Parliament’s Subcommittee on International Human Rights.
China has vehemently rejected allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang, calling for boycotts and other punishments against foreign companies, including the H&M retail chain and the Nike firm, in addition to sanctions against foreign officials and activists that Beijing says it spreads. about his policies towards Uyghurs and other Muslim groups in Xinjiang.
“They must stop political manipulation of Xinjiang-related issues, stop meddling in China’s internal affairs in any way, and refrain from following the wrong path. Otherwise the fingers will be burned, ”the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
China on Friday announced sanctions against British officials and H&M products were removed from Chinese portals over their opposition to buying cotton from Xinjiang.
The ruling Communist Party’s youth union launched attacks on H&M on Wednesday following the European Union’s decision to work with the United States, Britain and Canada to impose sanctions on Chinese officials accused of abuse in Xinjiang.
According to foreign governments and researchers, more than 1 million members of the Uyghur minority and other predominantly Muslim groups are held in detention camps in Xinjiang.
The authorities there are accused of imposing forced labor and birth control.
The Chinese government rejects complaints about abuse, saying the camps are for vocational training to support economic development and combat radical Islamism.