China has imposed sanctions on nine British politicians, lawyers and an academic for “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation” about Xinjiang, days after Britain sanctioned Chinese officials for human rights abuses in the region. The former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith is among the nine British citizens sanctioned days after Britain joined the United States, Canada and the European Union in co-ordinated sanctions on Chinese Communist Party officials alleged to have been involved in a campaign of persecution against the Uighurs. Duncan Smith called the sanctions a “badge of honour”. SponsoredThe Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the named individuals and their family members were banned from entering China, Hong Kong or Macau and that Chinese citizens and institutions would be prohibited from doing business with

Source: The Times March 26, 2021 04:59 UTC