BEIJING (Reuters) – China on Saturday imposed sanctions on two US religious rights officials and a Canadian lawmaker in response to US and Canadian sanctions on Xinjiang.
Beijing has pushed back against sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada for what it says are rights violations against Uighur Muslims and other Turkish minorities in the western Xinjiang region.
China will take action against the chairman and vice chairman of the US Government’s Advisory Committee on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
It also sanctioned Canadian MP Michael Chong, vice chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE), as well as the FAAE’s eight-member international human rights subcommittee, and this month presented a report concludes that atrocities have been committed in Xinjiang that constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.
“The Chinese government is firmly committed to protecting its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and urges the relevant parties to clearly understand the situation and remedy its mistakes,” the ministry said.
“They must stop political manipulation of Xinjiang issues, stop interfering in any way in China’s internal affairs, and refrain from going the wrong way. Otherwise they will burn their fingers. ”
People are prohibited from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, the ministry said, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with the three individuals or exchanging with the subcommittee.
China’s previous sanctions on people in the United States, which it says have seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and interests in Xinjiang-related issues, remain in place, according to the statement.
UN rights activists and experts say at least one million Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang camps. Activists and some Western politicians accuse China of using torture, forced labor and sterilization.
China has repeatedly denied all allegations of abuse and says its camps provide training and are needed to combat extremism.
Reporting by Ryan Woo; Edited by Kevin Liffey