China Announces Sanctions Against Canadian Parliamentarians and US Officials in Retaliation Over Xinjiang Sanctions

People take part in a rally to encourage Canada and other countries as they consider labelling China's treatment of its Uyghur population and Muslim minorities as genocide, outside the Canadian Embassy in Washington on Feb. 19, 2021. Reuters/Leah Millis

China has announced sanctions against a Canadian parliamentarian, a Canadian parliamentary subcommittee, and U.S. officials in response to sanctions announced by Canada and the United States against individuals and entities involved in rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.

China’s sanctions target Canadian MP Michael Chong, the Conservative Party’s foreign affairs critic; Gayle Manchin, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF); Tony Perkins, vice chair of USCIRF; and Canada’s parliamentary Subcommittee on International Human Rights.