BEIJING v OTTAWA (Reuters) – The United States on Saturday condemned China’s sanctions against two US religious rights officials and a Canadian lawmaker in a dispute over Beijing’s treatment of Uighur Muslims and other minorities.
China’s measures “only contribute to the growing international control of the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang. We stand in solidarity with Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU and other partners and allies around the world, calling on (China) to end human rights violations and abuses, “said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a statement.
The sanctions in Beijing followed those imposed by the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada earlier this week for alleged violations of the rights of Uighur Muslims and other Turkish minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.
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.
Blinken’s statement came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced Beijing and vowed to defend human rights.
China has sanctioned Canadian opposition MP Michael Chong, vice chairman of Parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and its Subcommittee on International Human Rights, who presented a report this month concluding that Xinjiang’s atrocities are crimes against humanity. and genocide.
Beijing has also said it will take action against the chairman and vice chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, Gayle Manchin and Tony Perkins.
People under Beijing’s sanctions are barred from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with the three people or exchanging with the subcommittee.
“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 Chinese foreign 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. ”
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.
Chong, who is a member of the Conservative Opposition Party of Canada, said he would “wear (sanctions) as a badge of honor.”
“This shows that lawmakers are effective in drawing attention to the genocide of the Uyghur people in western China,” Chong said in a telephone interview.
Chong called on the Trudeau government to “officially recognize the Uighur genocide” and said the sanctions would have no practical effect because he did not intend to travel to China.
Reporting by Ryan Woo in Beihing and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; additional reporting by Valerie Volcovici to Washington; Edited by Kevin Liffey and Cynthia Osterman