China imposes sanctions on US officials over Xinjiang

BEIJING (AP) — China announced sanctions connected Tuesday connected 4 members of the U.S. government’s Commission connected International Religious Freedom successful retaliation for penalties imposed connected Chinese officials implicit complaints of abuses successful the country’s northwestern Xinjiang region.

The tit-for-tat sanctions adhd to spiraling hostility implicit Xinjiang. Washington has banned imports from the portion that mightiness beryllium made with forced labor, portion activists are calling for a boycott of February’s Winter Olympics successful Beijing. China has denied accusations of abuses and earlier retaliated by publicizing calls for boycotts of overseas footwear and covering brands.

The chairwoman and 3 members of the U.S. sheet are barred from visiting mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, and immoderate assets they person successful the state volition beryllium frozen, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said.

Zhao identified those targeted arsenic chairwoman Nadine Maenza, lawman president Nury Turkel and members Anurima Bhargava and James Carr. Zhao gave nary denotation whether they person assets successful China.

China threatened to retaliate aft the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions Dec. 10 connected 2 officials accused of engagement successful repression of Uyghurs and different mostly Muslim minorities successful Xinjiang. Beijing is accused of wide detentions, forced abortions and different abuses.

Treasury targeted Shohrat Zakir, president of the region’s authorities from 2018 until aboriginal this year, and Erken Tuniyaz, who holds the presumption present and antecedently was lawman chairman.

“The United States should retreat the alleged sanctions and halt interfering successful Xinjiang’s affairs and China’s interior affairs,” Zhao said. “China volition marque further responses successful accordance with the improvement of the situation.”