West-China sanctions begin to escalate in growing row over Uyghur rights

LONDON: Britain on Friday accused China of attempting to “silence those highlighting human rights abuses” after Beijing sanctioned British lawmakers leading calls for action over its treatment of Uyghur Muslims.

“We condemn China’s attempt to silence those highlighting human rights abuses, at home and abroad, including UK MPs and peers,” Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said in a tweet.

“While the UK joins the international community to sanction human rights abuses, Chinese govt sanctions its critics,” he added.

Beijing earlier Friday announced sanctions against nine UK individuals and four entities, saying they had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation” over Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs.

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China has also fuelled a social media PR war against several Western brands operating inside the country, which has seen calls for boycotts and celebrities drop endorsements. Raab called on Beijing to give the United Nations access to the region of Xinjiang if they “want to credibly rebut claims of human rights abuses”.

Those sanctioned include Iain Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative party, four groups which have been vocal in driving rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong onto Westminster’s agenda and a law firm which has taken up Uyghur rights causes.

Duncan Smith said it was “our duty to call out the Chinese government’s human rights abuses in Hong Kong and their genocide of the Uyghur people.

“Those of us who live free lives under the rule of law must speak for those who have no voice. If that brings the anger of China down upon me then I shall wear that as a badge of honour.”

All of the sanctioned parties will be barred from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, while their property in the country will be frozen, and Chinese citizens and institutions will be banned from dealings with them.

“The United Kingdom (UK) imposed unilateral sanctions on relevant Chinese individuals and entities, citing the so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The move “severely undermines China-UK relations”, it added, warning Britain “not go further down the wrong path”.

The EU, UK, Canada and US sanctioned several members of Xinjiang’s political and economic hierarchy this week in a coordinated action over allegations of widespread abuse in the northwestern region.

At least one million Uyghurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups have been held in camps there, according to rights groups, who accuse authorities of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour. Tory MPs Nusrat Ghani, Tim Loughton, Tom Tugendhat and Neil O’Brien and peers Helena Kennedy and David Alton are also on the list announced by China on Friday.

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Ghani told BBC radio that she “won’t be intimidated”.

“This has now made me even more determined to speak out about the Uyghurs.” She said

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