Chinese Government Retaliates Against UK Over Uyghur Issue... Burberry Also Expelled

Trade Sanctions Imposed with Blacklist
Economic Pressure Intensifies
Chinese and Hong Kong Companies Also 'Support Xinjiang'
Burberry, Nike, and Others Suspend Cooperation

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] China has imposed "retaliatory sanctions" on the United Kingdom regarding human rights issues in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Individuals and organizations who posted statements on websites have been placed on a "blacklist," with entry bans and trade restrictions imposed. Chinese and Hong Kong companies are also showing signs of cutting ties with global companies that have raised their voices on the Xinjiang Uygur human rights issue.

UK Institutions and Individuals Face Entry and Trade Sanctions

On the 26th, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement posted on its website that it would sanction four UK institutions and nine individuals, banning these individuals and their immediate family members from entering mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau starting from that day. Chinese nationals and organizations are also prohibited from conducting transactions with them.

This is a retaliatory measure in response to the UK, along with the European Union (EU), the United States, Canada, and others, sanctioning Chinese officials and organizations on the 22nd over alleged human rights abuses against the Uygur people in Xinjiang.

Previously, China had immediately responded to the EU's sanctions by announcing sanctions against the EU Council's Political and Security Committee and others. The announced sanctions included numerous politicians such as Tom Tugendhat, Chair of the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and Ian Duncan Smith, former leader of the Conservative Party and Member of Parliament. The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission and the China Research Group were also included.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the UK of blatantly violating international law and the basic norms of international relations by unilaterally sanctioning Chinese individuals and institutions under the pretext of Xinjiang human rights issues based on lies and false information, recklessly interfering in China's internal affairs, and seriously damaging China-UK relations.

Hua Chunying, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing that "The UK has unilaterally imposed sanctions on China based on lies and false information," adding, "This violates international law and the basic rules of international relations, interferes in China's internal affairs, and seriously harms China-UK relations."

Spokesperson Hua further stated, "China is firmly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and hopes the UK will not go further down the wrong path. If not, China will respond more resolutely." She also emphasized, "The UK needs to learn to treat China and other countries with equality and mutual respect. This is the way for countries to get along well with each other."

The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region government also issued a statement strongly denying allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang and urged the United States, the UK, Canada, and others to "stop politicizing human rights issues and applying double standards."

The Xinjiang Issue Also Affects Chinese and Hong Kong Companies

The political issue related to Xinjiang is also impacting companies within mainland China. According to the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP), Chinese company Tencent removed costumes (skins) that were introduced in collaboration with Burberry from its mobile game "Honor of Kings." Honor of Kings is China's most popular mobile game, with an average daily user count exceeding 100 million last year.

Sources from SCMP reported that Tencent's decision is related to Burberry's stance on Xinjiang cotton. Burberry is a leading British fashion brand that declared it would not use cotton produced in Xinjiang.

Separately, Tencent's esports league "League of Legends Pro League" removed Nike's logos and products from its homepage and ended its partnership with Nike. Nike is also a company that declared a break from Xinjiang cotton.

Similar incidents occurred in Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), singer Eason Chan announced the day before that he would end all collaborations with Adidas, and William Chan announced he would end all collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.