A United Nations expert urged an end to sanctions against China for failing to comply with a wide range of international legal norms.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing on Friday, Alena Douhan, the UN special expert on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, called on countries to lift and suspend all unilateral sanctions imposed on China, Chinese nationals and companies, which are contrary to international law and ultimately lead to human rights violations, should not be used as an instrument of foreign policy and economic coercion. She said:
“China represents a particular case with regard to the impact of unilateral sanctions and means of their enforcement, given its strong and diverse economy and its growing global economic outreach.”
She concluded her 12-day official visit to the world’s second-largest economy, which is subject to unilateral sanctions and other restrictions by a number of countries, coupled with growing US pressure on Chinese technology companies, the imposition of export controls, the appointment of company officials and the imposition of administrative and civil charges. Earlier, the US announced additional tariffs on a number of imports from China, including electric cars and lithium-ion batteries.
Currently, over 700 Chinese enterprises are on the US list.
Unilateral coercive measures, as stated by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, are imposed as a tool to “compel a change in the policy” of the targeted states and can “impact the full enjoyment of human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” She also described the consequences of sanctions:
“Decline in business activities and the significant loss of global markets either due to unilateral sanctions per se or due to over-compliance with such measures by foreign businesses and entities have led to job losses, with consequent disruptions in social protection schemes, by disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, particularly in labour-intensive sectors, including women, older persons, and all those in informal employment.”
During her trip to China, Doohan met with representatives of national and local government agencies, non-governmental organisations, associations, humanitarian organisations, businesses, UN entities, academia, businesses, and the diplomatic community, the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement. Alena Douhan will present China’s report to the Human Rights Council in September this year.
According to her, broad sectors of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region’s economy have been particularly affected by the US sanctions. The US uses a non-binding instrument with unclear status and introduces a presumption of Xinjiang’s culpability at any stage of the supply chain, negatively impacting the overall economy of the region and beyond.
“The unilateral sanctions against China do not conform with a broad number of international legal norms and are introduced to apply pressure on the state.”
