A new report from Sheffield Hallam University in the UK has shown that the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), which is closely linked to the Chinese regime, is implementing the persecution of Uighurs in Xinjiang province. In particular, it demonstrates that the XPCC is acting under the orders of senior Chinese Communist Party officials. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) reacted to this on Wednesday, 27 July.
The Alliance co-chairs, including MEP Reinhard Bütikofer (Greens/EFA, German), signed a statement calling on “democratic states” to take action against the XPCC. They are calling, for example, for additional trade sanctions against the XPCC.
The EU has sanctioned four Chinese individuals and one entity in 2021 under its global human rights sanctions regime (see EUROPE 12683/1). These measures target, in particular, the XPCC’s Public Safety Office.
For Reinhard Bütikofer, it is clear that the EU must “show courage” and continue to sanction those responsible for the atrocities in Xinjiang, because “the Chinese side has no intention whatsoever to seriously talk about human rights.”, he said.
On 19 July, the EU-China High-Level Economic and Trade Dialogue left out the issue of human rights (see EUROPE 12996/3). “The EU must raise the issue of human rights in all dialogues with China”, Mr Bütikofer told EUROPE.
EU leaders had raised their concerns about the human rights situation at the EU-China summit on the 1st of April with the Chinese President and Prime Minister, without obtaining any commitment from Beijing (see EUROPE 12924/1).
In a sign of the growing distance between the EU and China, the Commission announced a few months ago that it was upgrading its discussion format with Taiwan to strengthen trade links (see EUROPE 12964/18). This is despite Beijing’s disapproval of diplomatic relations between foreign countries and the island of Taiwan. The EU also reiterated, on 28 July, its concerns about infringements of freedoms by the Hong Kong authorities, which are directly linked to the Chinese regime (see other news).
IPAC is also calling for import bans on goods manufactured by the XPCC and other entities responsible for forced labour in Xinjiang. The Commission is due to propose a regulation in September to tackle this problem (see EUROPE 13001/8). (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)