In a coordinated move, the US, EU, UK, and Canada all announced sanctions on Monday against Chinese officials over allegations surrounding China’s treatment of the Uyghur Muslim population of Xinjiang.
The Western blitz against China is a serious escalation of tensions between Washington and Beijing and comes after hostile in-person talks between US and Chinese officials in Alaska. Prior to the talks that were held last Thursday and Friday, the US slapped sanctions on 24 Chinese and Hong Kong officials, setting the tone for the meeting.
In a statement on the Xinjiang sanctions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of committing “genocide” against the Uyghurs. The statement reaffirms that the new administration agrees with a declaration of genocide by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that was made in the final days of the Trump administration.
The sanctions targeted Chinese officials associated with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, two entities that the Trump administration hit with sanctions last summer.
The actions marked the first EU sanctions implemented against China since 1989. Beijing retaliated to the EU measures almost immediately and announced sanctions on 10 European individuals and four entities.
The US is very much opposed to free trade in practice, clearly. The article should have focused more on the legitimacy of China’s criticism of western human rights practices such as the police killings of blacks in the US, not just the prompt retaliation. And do we care at all how legitimate US human rights concerns in China are? Clearly this is way more than that, it’s about the US trying to put China in their place. Subservience, despite their growing power and influence. Diplomacy to Biden is coordinating with allies on who to carefully abuse.
So, Blinken says they are committing “genocide” and the response is a few sanctions against a few individuals? Seems pretty light treatment for such a horrible crime against humanity unless you realize the original charge is a rediculous exaggeration of what’s going on and which, like Hong Kong and Taiwan, is an internal Chinese matter.
The ChiComs gave Blinken a head-swirly,
he still hasn’t figure that out though.
There is a new world order shaping, as the chances for trying to build bridges have slipped away through Western arrogance and presumed superiority.
Western one is based on ever tightening alliance of hunting clans. The system is optimized to individual benefit, from huntsmen to corporation.
The system worked for as long as the global hunting grounds were plentiful, with no competitor in sight to defend their woods. In fact, without competitor, the bonds among clans get lose, as everyone tries to advance their interest.
But competitors are here, and their hunting grounds are off limits. So, the alliance disciplining process is under way. Sanctions against the “enemies” are tools not just to weaken the enemy, but to punish clans who for their self-interest wish to continue doing business with the “enemy”.
The Eastern model looks much more like agricultural clans, with flexible confederation based on needs, and having self interest rooted in each other’s prosperity. Any discord and animosity results in nuclear option — destruction of each others crops, and resulting hunger and fear of losing land and livestock.
The evolution of these confederations made them very vulnerable to hunting alliances , especially as weapons became more advanced. The only defense was giving up clan power to strong state that in turn finds its legitimacy in protecting clans livelihood.
One model seeks dominance another cooperation. One has the advantage of being permanently on the offense , the other disadvantaged of being permanently on defense.
But advantages and disadvantages are shifting. In the era of more complex technology, transport, communications and science, better organized states that are not torn apart by individual interests — are having advantage, Focus on defense may reverse old adage that offense is the best defense. An offense minded tractor is fighting a defense minded endless marsh. Marsh can hold many surprises.
But the thought of 400,000 starving to death in Yemen THIS YEAR doesn’t seem to bother Tony all that much.
Or this:
“Caesar Civilian Protection Act, the new US law imposing the harshest sanctions in the world on Syria and bringing millions of Syrians to the brink of famine.”
https://www.unz.com/pcockburn/in-syria-the-war-of-hunger-is-taking-over-from-the-war-of-guns/
Absolute Hypocrisy…! US sanctions China for committing genocide against the Muslim Uyghurs, but keeps its ignorance for Israel committing genocide against the Muslim Palestinians….!
The remnants of the Native population in the US amount to just about 2% of the total, a tiny minority, but about the same as another minority of newcomers which totally controls the US. In Australia the Natives number around 300,000 a tenth of the population at the time Australia was DISCOVERED by the Anglo-Saxons.
Yet these are the countries that arrogantly accuse China of genocide of a minority when that minority has actually doubled in size over the last thirty or so years.