China: Sanctions

(asked on 23rd October 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the evidence base for that country's imposition of Magnitsky sanctions on Chinese officials for the abuse of Uighur minorities in Xinjiang; and what recent assessment he has made of whether evidence against those officials meets the threshold required for imposition of UK sanctions.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 2nd November 2020

On 6 July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights ('Magnitsky') sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament. It is not appropriate to speculate who may be designated under this sanctions regime in the future, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations. We are aware of the US designations under their regime, and we keep all evidence and potential listings under close review. The UK has taken a leading international role in holding China to account for its human rights violations in Xinjiang, both at the UN and by raising our concerns directly with Chinese authorities. Most recently, on 6 October, the UK and 38 other countries joined a statement at the UN Third Committee in New York expressing deep concern at the situation in Xinjiang, including the mass detention of Uyghurs in detention camps.

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