China sanctions US, Canada individuals as Xinjiang spat deepens

The measures ratchet up the tension with the West after several countries levied sanctions on China over allegations of abuse of minority ethnic Uyghurs in the western province of Xinjiang.

China announced retaliatory sanctions on individuals in the US and Canada in a widening spat over allegations of human-rights abuses in Xinjiang province.

China sanctioned European politicians and a think tank earlier this week. (AP)

The sanctions targeting the chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and a Canadian lawmaker were made in response to penalties announced a week ago by the US and China, measures that were “based on rumors and disinformation,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website Saturday.

The Chinese government is “firmly determined” to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, and urges the relevant parties “to clearly understand the situation and redress their mistakes,” the ministry said.

The measures ratchet up tension with the West after several countries levied sanctions on China over allegations of abuse of minority ethnic Uyghurs in the western province of Xinjiang. Beijing denies such allegations, routinely dismissing them as lies.

“They must stop political manipulation on Xinjiang-related issues, stop interfering in China’s internal affairs in any form and re rain from going further down the wrong path,” the statement said. “Otherwise, they will get their fingers burnt.”

The sanctions target USCIRF Chair Gayle Manchin, who is the wife of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin; USCIRF Vice Chair Tony Perkins; Canadian MP Michael Chong, and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Canadian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee.

China sanctioned European politicians and a think tank earlier this week, including a German and a French member of the European Parliament and a former leader of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party.