EU wants to punish China for actions against Uyghurs – Wel.nl

Brussels (ANP) – The European Union wants to punish China for violating the human rights of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. The American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Brussels reports that this is the first time the EU has imposed sanctions on communist rule since the bloody repression of the uprising in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989.

The ambassadors said the EU would like to put four officials and a so-called company on the blacklist. One of the sanctions is the travel ban for those involved. They do not have access to any assets in EU member states. The Chinese are also on the list, which includes human rights abusers from Russia, North Korea and Africa.

Some European governments and the United States have called Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang genocide against Uyghurs. The House of Representatives did two weeks ago. The genocide will also be discussed at the first meeting between the new US Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense and the Chinese delegation in Alaska next week.

The decision to impose European sanctions on human rights abuses came this week after lengthy negotiations. The WSJ said the drag talks had once again exposed the EU’s divisions over how to deal with Beijing. These measures have not yet been approved, which is expected when EU foreign ministers meet later this month.