Britain imposed sanctions on Monday on four Chinese officials and a state security body over human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur community in Xinjiang, part of coordinated action by some Western countries to put pressure on Beijing.
Earlier on Monday, the United States announced sanctions on two more Chinese officials linked to China’s Xinjiang, the United States announced sanctions on two more Chinese officials linked to China’s Xinjiang region and the European Union imposed sanctions on four Chinese officials, including a top security director.
Britain has repeatedly denounced torture, forced labor and sterilizations that it says are taking place against Muslim Uyghurs on an “industrial scale” in Xinjiang.
Activists and U.N. rights experts have said that at least one million Muslims are detained in camps in the remote regions. China denies abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.