The European Union and Belgium rejected Chinese sanctions on lawmakers and academics for their criticism of the situation of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The High Representative for European Foreign Policy Josep Borrell responded on Monday that it was “unacceptable”. Belga learned that Belgian Minister Sophie Vilmes has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Belgium.
China imposed sanctions on 10 members of the European Parliament on Monday Academics and four entities, including the European Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights. Beijing announced the move after the European Union announced human rights sanctions against China for the first time in more than 30 years before today for the treatment of the Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region.
“It is unfortunate and unacceptable,” Borrell said. This does not answer our legitimate concerns. The Spaniard said: We want China to enter into a dialogue on human rights instead of seeking confrontation. Minister Sophie Vilmes “firmly rejects” the Chinese response to “measures taken in defense of human rights, which is a fundamental principle of European policy.”
news agency Belgian It is learned that Vilmes has summoned the Chinese ambassador to Brussels. One of the ten individuals targeted is Member of Parliament Ecolo Samuel Cogolati, who has proposed a resolution in the Belgian Chamber to label the fate of the Uyghurs as “genocide”. Several decisions were made in the chamber on this issue. After the Easter holidays, the Foreign Affairs Committee organizes hearings.
Cogolati has no intention of leaving the fight. “It’s horrific because people are targeting the heart of democracy,” he adds. Belgian. “But this kind of targeted harassment will only strengthen my resolve.” Cogolati will continue to work to recognize the plight of the Uyghurs as a “genocide” and to punish “those responsible for human rights violations in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong or anywhere in China”. “Regardless of the weight of these sanctions, they are not comparable to the severe persecution that Uighurs face on a daily basis.” running Radio 1 “We should dare to say that China is an authoritarian communist country,” he said.
Five members of the European Parliament from different political families have been banned from traveling to China or from doing business with the country. Representative David Sassoli said that the sanctions affected the deputies “who express their views while exercising their democratic duty,” and stressed that Beijing’s reaction would have “consequences.” Several members of the European Parliament have already stated that sanctions will come to the fore in the debate over ratification of the investment agreement that the European Union concluded with China at the end of last year.
