China is accused of using torture, forced labour and sterilisations – it denies rights abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism. The sanctions mark an important, restrained, wider multilateral recalibration of relationships with China as the EU talks to the US about how to deal with the superpower. China has already retaliated over the latest sanctions by imposing restrictions, largely travel bans, on several thinktanks, EU foreign policy ambassadors, and some MEPs. Bernd Lange, Socialist chairman of the parliament’s trade committee, warns that “today’s events clearly do not allow to continue with business as usual”. US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will today be in Brussels to relaunch a US-EU China dialogue with Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief.

Source: The Irish Times March 23, 2021 20:42 UTC