China imposes retaliatory sanctions on EU, targeting European politicians and think tanks

In response to the decision by EU foreign ministers this morning (22 March) to sanctions imposed on four Chinese nationals and one entity (Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau) linked to the persecution of the Uyghur minority, China has announced retaliatory sanctions for ten individuals and four entities.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson service said that its actions were in response to the EU’s unilateral sanctions and what the Chinese government refers to as the “so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang”. 

The People’s Republic of China spokesperson statement read: “This move, based on nothing but lies and disinformation, disregards and distorts facts, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, flagrantly breaches international law and basic norms governing international relations, and severely undermines China-EU relations. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this. The Chinese government is firmly determined to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

The Chinese have selected ten individuals and four entities on the EU side that “severely harm China's sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation”. This list is largely made up of members of the European Parliament: Reinhard Butikofer, Michael Gahler, Raphaël Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann, as well as Sjoerd Wiemer Sjoerdsma of the Dutch Parliament, Samuel Cogolati of the Belgian Federal Parliament, Dovile Sakaliene of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, German scholar Adrian Zenz, Swedish scholar Björn Jerdén. The individuals concerned and their families are prohibited from entering the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao of China. They are also restricted from doing business with China.

The four entities include the Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union, Subcommittee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Germany, and the Alliance of Democracies Foundation in Denmark. 

The Chinese side called on the EU side to: “Reflect on itself, face squarely the severity of its mistake and redress it. It must stop lecturing others on human rights and interfering in their internal affairs. It must end the hypocritical practice of double standards and stop going further down the wrong path. Otherwise, China will resolutely make further reactions.”

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