Canada, China exchange political sanctions and mutual condemnation

Tensions between Canada and China continue to rise in the wake of foreign interference investigations and intelligence reports involving spies on Parliament Hill.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi this week announced sanctions on 20 Canadians and two Canadian institutions that support human rights in Tibet and for Chinese Uyghur muslims.

The sanctions come in response to Canada’s decision to impose sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuse issues.

The Trudeau Liberals, who are reportedly planning further sanctions on China in the new year, condemned the sanctions and are reportedly planning to impose further sanctions on Chinese officials in the new year.

China has denied human rights abuses among the approximately 10 million Uyghurs in Xinjiang province, despite reports of forced labour camps and insists its 1950 annex of Tibet was a “peaceful liberation.”

China’s most recent sanctions target Canada's Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada-Tibet Committee and went into effect on the Saturday before Christmas.

The two institutions will face freezing of "movable property, immovable property and other types of property within the territory of China,” and 20 individuals involved in the organizations face asset freezes and bans on entry, according to China’s foreign affair’s website.

The entry ban includes Hong Kong and Macau.

The Government of Canada in a statement “expressed solidarity with the members of the Canadian Tibet Committee and the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and condemned the decision by the Chinese Government to punish them for speaking out for human rights.”

The Global Affairs office said China should adhere to international human rights laws and advise Canadians to exercise caution while travelling in China due to what it called “the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have been exchanging tit for tat with China since they had Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou detained in Vancouver in 2018 for extradition to the US on alleged financial crimes.

China retaliated by detaining the “Two Michaels,” Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

"The Government of Canada will not tolerate any threats, acts of violence or harassment of people in Canada or their family and friends because of their political opinions or to silence dissenting viewpoints," the Canadian government said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly earlier in December said in a statement that Canada is deeply concerned by the human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet and against those who practice Falun Gong, "per the Canadian Press.