What’s new: China has imposed sanctions on nine British individuals and four entities for what it calls "maliciously spreading lies and disinformation" over labor conditions in China's far western Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The action is in retaliation to U.K. sanctions against China early this week.
The individuals and entities sanctioned include British lawmakers, lawyers, businesses, including Tom Tugendhat, a Conservative Party lawmaker, Helena Kennedy, a Scottish barrister, and the China Research Group, a China-focused research group, according to a statement released by the Chinese foreign ministry.
The individuals concerned and their immediate family members are now prohibited from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, their property in China has been frozen, and Chinese citizens and institutions are prohibited from doing business with them, the statement said.
The background: China’s sanctioning of the U.K. individuals and entities follows its similar sanctions on EU officials and institutions early this week. The U.K. joined a group of countries and regional groupings including the EU, U.S. and Canada on Monday, sanctioning four Chinese officials with travel bans and asset freezes. China imposed retaliatory sanctions against the EU on Monday. The Chinese foreign ministry has not clarified if they could expand the tit-for-tat sanctions on Canada and the U.S.
Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)
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