10 Apr 2021 / 08:51 H.
(Updates with comments from Chinese foreign ministry, background on sanctions imposed by UK over Xinjiang)
March 26 (Reuters) - China sanctioned organisations and individuals in the United Kingdom on Friday over what it called lies and disinformation about Xinjiang, days after Britain imposed sanctions for human rights abuses in the western Chinese region.
The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement it sanctioned four entities and nine individuals, including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission, that maliciously spread lies and disinformation.
Targeted individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering Chinese territory, the ministry said, adding that Chinese citizens and institutions will be prohibited from doing business with them.
UPDATE 2-China sanctions UK entities, individuals for Xinjiang lies
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The BBC s long-serving China correspondent has fled to Taiwan after facing threats of legal action, obstruction and intimidation from Chinese authorities.
John Sudworth said he and his family left in a hurry on March 23 after being under surveillance - and were followed by plainclothes police all the way to the airport .
China s foreign ministry said they never threatened Mr Sudworth, adding that they don t know why he left because he didn t say goodbye .
The BBC said Mr Sudworth is still their China correspondent and said his work exposed truth the Chinese authorities did not want the world to know .
It comes amid rising tensions between the BBC and China over the latter s condemnation of the corporation s reporting on Xinjiang, Covid-19 and Hong Kong.
China has imposed sanctions on more than two dozen European and British lawmakers, academics and think tanks. The move comes after the European Union and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses in China s Xinjiang region.
China contends that its sanctions are tit for tat morally equivalent retaliation in response to those imposed by Western countries. This is false. The European sanctions are for crimes against humanity, whereas the Chinese sanctions seek to silence European critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
The current standoff is, in essence, about the future of free speech in Europe. If notoriously feckless European officials fail to stand firm in the face of mounting Chinese pressure, Europeans who dare publicly to criticize the CCP in the future can expect to pay an increasingly high personal cost for doing so.