According to the official Chinese media, the sanctions came in response to the UK’s interference in internal affairs, which would have “exposed the relations between the two countries to a grave risk.” Earlier this week, the United Kingdom announced sanctions against China for human rights violations.
In a statement, the Chinese ministry wrote that four entities and nine individuals would be banned from China. These include the British Conservative Party’s Human Rights Committee.
The persons concerned and their family members are no longer allowed to enter Chinese territory. Also, Chinese citizens and institutions are no longer allowed to do business with them and all their assets in the country have been frozen. The ministry also stated that “China reserves the right to take further measures.”
Xinjiang is home to the Uyghurs, a largely Muslim group that is under persecution in China. Human rights activists and UN experts say, among others, that Uyghurs are imprisoned, tortured, sterilized in camps, and forced into forced labor. Some European governments and the United States have described Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang as genocide.
