US is 'turning a blind eye to its own violations', says China over 'unwarranted' sanctions

In response to the US' announcement of proposed sanctions against China, Beijing has accused Washington of turning “a blind eye to its own violations” as reports emerged of sanctions against China’s alleged illegal fishing in the Pacific Ocean and human rights abuses in Tibet. Along with China, Russia has also been subject to fresh US sanctions, the targets include officials allegedly responsible for Russia’s filtration camps for Ukrainians caught behind the front, where groups such as Human Rights Watch have alleged the military has tortured citizens and committed other war crimes. 

“China strongly opposes interference in other countries’ internal affairs under the pretext of human rights. The U.S. is in no position to impose unwarranted sanctions on other countries or act as a ‘world policeman,’” Mao said.

“As for the issue of illegal fishing, let me say that China is a responsible fishing country. We have always worked with other members of the international community to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” she stated. “Pointing fingers at others while turning a blind eye to its own violations is blatant double standards.”

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that the United States would sanction 170 largely Chinese entities allegedly involved in illegal fishing in the Pacific. The assets of the targets within US jurisdiction will be frozen, with travel and business dealings prohibited. The move is meant to cut off the targets from the world’s largest markets, possibly driving them out of business, while individuals associated with those companies may face difficulties travelling. The sanctions are expected to be imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act.

What are the proposed US sanctions against China?

The Biden administration is set to sanction around 170 largely Chinese entities allegedly involved in illegal fishing throughout the Pacific, which Western officials say Beijing has used not only to feed the world’s largest population, but also to help the Communist government expand its maritime power through the establishment of a network of ports outside of China. One US official said sanctions had also been drafted to list Chinese entities allegedly involved in human-rights abuses against Tibetans. Beijing has used its security forces as part of an effort to control the group, human-rights groups say, harassing suspected followers of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. China and Russia have long been the subject of a host of US sanctions as Washington attempts to put pressure against Moscow’s war in Ukraine and for Beijing’s treatment of political opposition in Hong Kong.

This comes immediately after the top United Nations human rights official Volker Turk said Friday that his office will continue reaching out to Beijing about allegations of abuse in China. The office of former U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet published a report in August stating that China’s detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. Bachelet’s successor, High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, called the report “a very important one” that “highlighted very serious human rights concerns.”