German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas expected that on March 22 the European Union would agree to sanctions against Chinese citizens whom the bloc considers responsible for human rights violations.
“Yes, I think we will reach an understanding,” Maas told reporters on Monday, ahead of informal talks between European Union foreign and interior ministers. He added, “By setting up the penal system, we got the possibility to punish human rights violations, and of course we want to use this tool.”
The German minister added, “We are currently working to implement this system on a global scale, as it will not be limited to China, but will include other countries as well.”
Reuters quoted diplomatic sources as saying that during the March 22 meeting, the European Union will punish four Chinese officials and one entity with a travel ban and an asset freeze, due to human rights violations of the Muslim Uyghur minority in China.
And last week, a source in one of the European delegations in the Council of the European Union told TASS that the ambassadors of the 27 countries had agreed on new personal sanctions, including against Russian and Chinese citizens whom the bloc holds responsible for human rights violations.
Source: Agencies
