China, Russia accuse US of interference with sanctions

In a show of unity, the foreign ministers of China and Russia have met to condemn Western sanctions against them over human rights.

The foreign ministers of both China and Russia on Tuesday condemned Western sanctions against them and accused the US

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov both rejected outside criticism of their authoritarian systems.

The pair said their countries were working to further global progress on issues such as climate change and the coronavirus pandemic.

Wang sharply criticized coordinated sanctions against Beijing by the EU, Britain, the US and Canada over human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China’s far western Xinjiang region.

“Countries should stand together to oppose all forms of unilateral sanctions,” Wang said. “These measures will not be embraced by the international community.”

Lavrov said Russia and China both viewed the US as seeking to rely on Cold War military alliances to undermine the “international legal architecture.”

Earlier this month, Russia said that sanctions imposed by the EU and US over the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny would have a souring effect on Russia’s bilateral relations with both.

Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia no longer had relations with the EU after Brussels had “destroyed them.” However, the Russian minister added that Russia would be ready to work with the EU “if and when the bloc is ready to remove this anomaly in relations.”

The EU and US penalties against Russia targeted several individuals within Russia’s security sector, including Federal Security Service head Alexander Bortnikov.

On Monday, the EU imposed asset freezes on four Chinese regional and Communist Party officials including Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.

The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau was also hot with measures.

The EU had not sanctioned China significantly since an arms embargo in 1989 after the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy crackdown.

The sanctions came ahead of meetings between the US and NATO members this week, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken seeking to repair relations with NATO members.

China had already responded on Monday by imposing sanctions on 10 European individuals and four institutions that it said had damaged China’s interests.

Beijing said those targeted had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation,” denying charges that more than 1 million have been locked up in prison-like reeducation camps.

It barred them from visiting mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and also banned them from engaging in financial dealings with Chinese institutions.

Politicians around Europe condemned China’s retaliatory actions, with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell describing them as “regrettable and unacceptable.”

rc/msh (Reuters, AP, EFE)

Source: dw.com

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