China has imposed sanctions against two Canadian companies and their employees.

China has imposed sanctions against two Canadian companies involved in human rights issues in Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as 20 of their employees, according to a statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

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In particular, the companies Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and Canada-Tibet Committee, as well as a total of 20 employees of these companies, were sanctioned.

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The sanctions include the freezing of movable, immovable and other types of property in China, in addition to a ban on organizations and individuals in China from carrying out transactions, cooperation and other activities. In addition to the above, people subject to sanctions are prohibited from entering China, including Hong Kong and Macau.

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Recently, criticism of China’s policies in Xinjiang from Western countries, human rights organizations and the media has sharply escalated. The EU, US, Canada and UK have imposed sanctions on China over alleged rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang, oppression of ethnic minorities and the use of forced labour. The United States has stated that China’s actions against the Uighurs can allegedly be regarded as genocide. China categorically denies all accusations.