U.S., ALLIES ANNOUNCE SANCTIONS ON CHINA
The U.S., the European Union, Britain and Canada each announced sanctions against China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, a coordinated effort aimed at holding Beijing accountable for a yearslong campaign against Uyghurs and other minority groups in the northwestern Chinese region.
The diplomatic push, announced Monday, comes after a tense meeting between U.S. and Chinese officials and amid growing calls for democracies to work together to take on an increasingly authoritarian and assertive Beijing.
The European Union was first to move, saying early Monday that it would punish four Chinese officials and the Xinjiang public security bureau with travel bans and freeze their assets — its most significant measures since an arms embargo after the 1989 killings in Tiananmen Square.
China quickly responded, leveling similar measures against a long list of its European critics.
Not long after, the United States, Canada and Britain jumped in. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced midday that the United States will add two names to its existing Xinjiang sanctions list.
Britain committed for the first time to freeze assets and ban travel for the same Chinese officials as the European Union did, as well as a Xinjiang security body. Canada said it would sanction the same officials and security body as Britain did.
Although the sanctions are largely symbolic, they are sure to complicate ties between China and the rest of the world.
Under President Donald Trump, the United States vowed to take a strong stance on China, but for the most part it did so alone. The Biden administration has stressed the importance of rallying allies to the cause, saying the scale of the challenge requires collective action.
Despite extensive reporting, satellite imagery and witness testimony, Beijing denies human rights abuses in Xinjiang, claiming that Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims are thriving there.