By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Dec 27: Beijing has imposed sanctions on the US risk intelligence firm Kharon and two researchers in response to recent East Turkistan (Xinjiang)-related sanctions imposed by Washington. The Chinese foreign ministry disclosed that Kharon, recognized for its analysis of investment risks, including those tied to East Turkistan (Xinjiang), faced these measures in retaliation to earlier US Treasury sanctions.
In response, Los-Angeles based Kharon said it had no presence in China, so the action was “largely symbolic” and would not impact its operations or ability to service its clients.
“In service of our clients and all global businesses that seek to implement leading risk management programs, Kharon will continue to provide research and data analytics that is objective, independent, and based on reliable sources,” it said in a statement.
The sanctioned individuals are Edmund Xu, a research director at Kharon, and Nicole Morgret, a human rights analyst at the Centre for Advanced Defence Studies in Washington. Both researchers are now barred from entering China, and the assets of the three entities have been frozen. Xu and Morgret have authored several reports on the human rights situation and forced labour in East Turkistan.
The Chinese ministry expressed its protest to the United States concerning the December sanctions, emphasizing the likelihood of further countermeasures if Washington maintains the bans against Chinese entities.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning accused the United States of using the human rights issue in Xinjiang as grounds for imposing what China views as unlawful sanctions. She urged the US to stop vilifying China, lift unilateral sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, and halt the implementation of bills like the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Earlier this month, the United States sanctioned two more Chinese officials over alleged links to human rights abuses against Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control noted that the sanctions targeted Gao Qi, a former police chief in the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture, and Hu Lianhe, an official from the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department tasked with shaping ideology and ensuring social stability in the region. The office froze the officials’ US assets and prohibited dealings by any US person or individuals located in the US without permission—a permission that is challenging to obtain.
