Canada imposes sanctions on architect of China’s repression in Xinjiang

Canada has imposed sanctions on eight current or former Chinese government officials for human-rights violations, including the architect of Beijing’s internationally condemned crackdown on minorities in its remote Xinjiang province.

Chen Quanguo, a retired Chinese politician who was the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of both Tibet and later Xinjiang, was the main individual behind China’s suppression of Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in the remote Xinjiang province that first drew international attention in 2017.

This includes placing as many as one million Uyghurs into detention camps – which China called vocational training centres – where Beijing said it was combatting extremism through education.

The sanctions, announced Tuesday, freeze any assets these individuals have in Canada and bar Canadians from having any financial dealings with them. They also prevent those under sanction from trying to move assets to Canada to escape sanctions in other countries, such as the United States.

John Boscariol, head of McCarthy Tétrault’s international trade and investment law group, said he is preparing clients for the likelihood Canada may impose further sanctions on China “in the medium term” over Beijing assisting Russia and North Korea in evading sanctions related to Moscow’s war on Ukraine, continued violations of human rights, or its intimidation of Taiwan through military operations.

“We’re expecting, in the near future, more significant sanctions against China,” he said.

First Uyghur refugee arrives under Canadian effort to resettle persecuted minority groups from China

Xinjiang has for years been a particular concern for rights activists, Western governments and academics who have said that China also imposed an unprecedented system of forced labour on the millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims who live in the region.

Michelle Bachelet, a former United Nations high commissioner for human rights, visited Xinjiang in 2022, and her office’s report from August concluded that China has committed “serious human-rights violations” against Uyghur Muslims in the region, which may amount to crimes against humanity.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement that Canada is “deeply concerned” by the human-rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet.

“We call on the Chinese government to put an end to this systematic campaign of repression and uphold its international human rights obligations,” she said.

Also under Canadian sanctions is Erkin Tuniyaz, a top-level Chinese Communist Party member and the governor of Xinjiang. Other officials targeted over their role in the Xinjiang repression include Peng Jiarui, Huo Liujun and Shohrat Zakir.

Ottawa also imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials instrumental in repression in Tibet, which China invaded and annexed more than 70 years ago. Those targeted include Wu Yingjie and Hongbo Zhang, two former top officials in Tibet, as well as You Quan, the former director of the United Front Work Department.

The United States has previously imposed sanctions on these same Chinese officials.

Separately, a study planned for release Wednesday by Toronto-based not-for-profit Digital Public Square, and DisinfoWatch, a disinformation monitoring and debunking project, warns that China is showing no inclination to pull back from its disinformation and interference operations aimed at Canadian Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, Taiwanese and Falun Gong adherents.

The report contained interviews with 25 diaspora leaders, many of whom have testified about facing harassment, intimidation and surveillance from China and its proxies in Canada.

“These tactics often involve threats against family members in China, online harassment, and the use of platforms like WeChat to monitor and coerce individuals in Canada,” the report said. “The pervasive nature of these operations creates an atmosphere of fear, undermining the freedom and security of targeted communities.”

The report suggested that digital-security training be provided to the affected communities, police do a better job of responding to their concerns and support networks be established to help Canadians defend themselves from Chinese state influence and disinformation activities. The report also called for measures to regulate social media by either banning or labelling foreign state-affiliated media operating in Canada.

“Overall, the PRC’s sophisticated use of media, community influence, and targeted intimidation shapes a narrative that marginalizes critics and reinforces control over the Chinese diaspora in Canada,” the report said.

In June, Parliament passed sweeping legislation to combat foreign interference by creating a mandatory registry for people undertaking “influence activity” in politics or government on behalf of foreign powers and giving Canada’s top spy agency more authority to combat threats.