What's new: China has hit back at the U.S. by condemning human rights violations in the country in an annual report after Washington, together with the European Union and its allies including the U.K. and Canada, sanctioned Chinese officials over Xinjiang on Monday.
Released on Wednesday by the State Council, China’s cabinet, the wide-ranging 2020 report detailed what Beijing called human rights violations in the U.S. related to epidemic control, gun violence, inter-ethnic conflict, political disorder and social inequality.
Why it matters: The report was released two days after a round of sanctions coordinated among the EU, the U.S., Britain and Canada on top Chinese officials for human rights-related acts in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the country’s far west.
In a tit-for-tat response, Beijing imposed sanctions on 10 EU individuals including politicians and four EU institutions. China’s foreign ministry did not say whether it would also sanction the other three countries.
The release of the report came just days after contentious two-day U.S.- China talks in Alaska, which were the first high-level meetings between Beijing and the new Biden administration.
On Monday, Beijing urged the United States to take “effective” measures to ensure the safety and rights of Chinese nationals within its borders after the death of a Chinese woman at the Atlanta shootings. The shootings had resulted in the deaths of eight people, of whom six were Asian women.
Contact editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)
Follow the Chinese markets in real time with Caixin Global’s new stock database.
