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Security guard at the gate of a “vocational training center” in Huac Thanh district, Xinjiang – Photo: REUTERS
On March 22, the European Union (EU) imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials and one Chinese entity for human rights abuses in Xinjiang. This is the first sanction imposed by the EU on Beijing since the arms embargo in 1989, according to Reuters News.
Allegedly involved in the Uighur concentration camps in Xinjiang, the people targeted include Chen Ming Guo (Chen Ming Kwok), director of the Xinjiang Public Security Agency. The EU says that Mr. Chen is responsible for the acts of “grave human rights violations”.
The three remaining officials are Wang Ming Shan, Wang Jun Zheng, and Zhu Hai Lun. These four people will be subject to travel restrictions and property freezes. The Chinese entity sanctioned by the EU is the Xinjiang Construction and Production Corps (XPCC), a unique economic and paramilitary organization in Xinjiang.
In response to the EU move, on the same day that China announced its decision to punish 10 EU individuals (including politicians and academics), including German politician Reinhard Butikofer and four entities that Beijing claims “seriously damage the China’s sovereignty and interests “in relation to the Xinjiang issue. .
In a statement in response to the EU move, China’s Foreign Ministry urged the EU to “correct the mistake” and not interfere in China’s internal affairs.
According to the AFP news agency, China’s sanctions mean that these 10 EU people and their families are banned from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
UN human rights groups and experts say at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities have been sent to concentration camps in Xinjiang.
Western media call these camps reeducation / political reeducation, but the Chinese side says they are just vocational training centers. Beijing has denied the Western allegations, saying it is taking steps to combat terrorism and provide vocational training there.
