Led by former Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten, 103 cross-party UK MPs have signed a letter to Prime Minister Johnson calling for sanctions against Chinese Communist Party officials over Hong Kong and Xinjiang, and in response to Chinese sanctions against nine British citizens.
The signatories include British Labour Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy (Lisa Blue), Labour Shadow Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Stephen Kinnock, and former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.
In their letter, they criticize the Communist Party for sanctioning British parliamentarians, academics, and lawyers whose “crime” is simply to courageously defend the human rights of the new Uighur people, reflecting the growing authoritarian nature of the Communist government.
The CCP has also sanctioned parliamentarians or institutions in Europe, Canada, and the U.S. In the letter, Patten also wrote: “[The CCP’s] unprecedented attacks on elected representatives of the Western world (require) a strong, coordinated response.”
The letter also named sanctions against Xinjiang Party Secretary Chen Quanguo and against officials and entities that have suppressed the democracy movement in Hong Kong. “(Sanctions against the CCP) include expanding the sanctions list and using the Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to sanction officials and entities that persist in committing serious human rights violations against Uighurs and suppressing the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement.”
“It is clear that the so-called ‘golden age’ relationship between China and Britain is over.” He added, “We urge the government to immediately review, publish and implement a cross-departmental strategy that addresses how the UK will respond to the growing challenges posed to the democratic world by the Chinese (Communist) regime.”
The U.K. previously announced back-to-back sanctions with the U.S., Canada and the European Union against Chinese Communist Party officials and entities involved in human rights abuses against the Uighur people in Xinjiang, and the CCP launched so-called counter-sanctions against the U.S., U.K., Canada and the EU, including nine people and four entities in the U.K.
Johnson said at the time that he firmly supported the sanctioned British people, arguing that they had freedom of expression and praising them for their important role in exposing the CCP’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Next week, on April 22, the British Parliament will debate and vote on a motion on whether there have been humanitarian crimes and “genocide” in Xinjiang. The United States and Canada have declared “genocide” in Xinjiang.
Recent Comments