UK slams China sanctions

Britain's prime minister accused China of "gross rights violations" against the Muslim Uighur minority yesterday after Beijing aimed sanctions at UK lawmakers and lobby groups, widening a rift with Western powers over alleged abuses in Xinjiang.

At least one million Uighurs and people from other mostly Muslim groups have been held in camps in northwestern Xinjiang, according to rights groups, who accuse authorities of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labour.

The European Union, Britain, Canada and United States sanctioned several members of Xinjiang's political and economic hierarchy this week in co-ordinated action over allegations of widespread abuse in the region, which the US has said amounts to genocide.

Beijing, which insists Xinjiang is an "internal affair", has gone into attack mode, imposing sanctions on individuals from the EU and Britain who have taken up the Uighur cause.

It has also fuelled a social media PR war against several Western brands operating inside China, which has seen calls for boycotts, and celebrities dropping endorsements.

Yesterday, China announced sanctions against nine British individuals and four entities, saying they had "maliciously spread lies and disinformation" over Beijing's treatment of Uighurs.