A dispute over allegations of human rights abuses in China was exacerbated when Beijing announced retaliatory sanctions on people in the U.S. and Canada and spread the corporate collapse.
Tensions have risen over reports of forced labor being used to harvest cotton in western China’s Xinjiang province, allegations that Beijing routinely rejects as politically motivated lies.
There are Hennes & Mauritz AB stores in some parts of China being shut down by its owners after the Swedish fashion retailer’s comments about Xinjiang sparked an unofficial boycott. Japanese brands Muji and Uniqlo were involved this week, while based in Oregon Nike Inc. shares sank as investors were frightened by the potential impact on their Chinese business.
On Saturday, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced sanctions against a Canadian lawmaker and a parliamentary human rights committee, as well as the heads of the U.S. International Religious Freedom Commission, known as the USCIRF. Earlier in the week, the commission praised coordinated sanctions against Chinese officials by the United States, Canada and European countries for treating China against its Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang.
“Burned fingers”
The Chinese measures were taken in response to sanctions announced a week ago by the US and Canada that were based on “rumors and misinformation,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website. The Chinese government is “firmly determined” to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and urges relevant parties to “clearly understand the situation and correct its mistakes,” he said.
The Xinjiang controversy adds to a broader confrontation between China and the United States and its allies that took root under Donald Trump and is hardening under the Biden administration. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described China as the “biggest geopolitical test in the world.”
China sanctioned European politicians and a think tank this week, including a German and a French member of the European Parliament and a former leader of the British Conservative Party.
The sanctions announced Saturday are aimed at USCIRF President Gayle Manchin, who is the wife of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin; USCIRF Vice President Tony Perkins; Canadian MP Michael Chong; and the Canadian Parliament’s International Human Rights Subcommittee.
“They must stop political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues, stop interfering in any way in China’s internal affairs, and refrain from going the wrong way,” the Foreign Ministry said. “Otherwise, your fingers will burn.”
Stakeholders are prohibited from entering China, Hong Kong and Macao, while Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with them or having exchanges with the committee.
From China previous sanctions on U.S. people “who have severely undermined China’s sovereignty and interests in Xinjiang-related matters” remain in effect, the ministry said.
– With the assistance of Charles Capel and Jacob Gu