US imposes sanctions on China, Myanmar, Bangladesh for human rights abuse

The United States on Friday imposed
sanctions on dozens of people and entities linked to China, Myanmar, North
Korea and Bangladesh for alleged human rights violations. The US has also added
Chinese artificial intelligence company SenseTime Group to an investment
blacklist.

Also Read: Will the US-led boycott have any impact on Beijing Winter Olympics?

According to Reuters, Canada and the United
Kingdom also joined the US in imposing sanctions on Myanmar for high rights
abuses. In the meantime, for the first time under President Joe Biden’s
administration, Washington imposed sanctions on North Korea and targeted
Myanmar military entities, among others, on the occasion of Human Rights Day.

Also Read: China calls US democracy ‘weapon of mass destruction’ after US summit

“Our actions today, particularly those
in partnership with the United Kingdom and Canada, send a message that
democracies around the world will act against those who abuse the power of the
state to inflict suffering and repression,” Deputy Treasury Secretary
Wally Adeyemo said in a statement.

Also Read: Joe Biden says hard work ahead to bolster democracies

Reacting to the sanction, the Chinese
embassy in Washington termed the US move as “serious interference in
China’s internal affairs” and a “severe violation of basic norms
governing international relations.” Embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said it
would do “grave harm to China-US relations” and urged Washington to
rescind the decision.

 Also Read: Joe Biden to focus on elections, tech as democracy summit wraps

The North Korean mission at the United
Nations and Myanmar and Bangladesh embassies in Washington, however, did not
immediately respond.

Also Read: Services in Washington, Kansas will continue to honor Bob Dole

The measures are the latest in a series of
sanctions following Joe Biden’s two-day virtual Summit for Democracy, where he
announced initiatives to uphold democratic values across the world.

Biden said on Friday that commitments made
by some of the more than 100 world leaders at the summit would push back
against rising autocracy around the world, fight corruption and promote human
rights.

Also Read: Summit for Democracy: Day 1 highlights of the diplomatic event

“This is going to help seed fertile
ground for democracy to bloom around the world,” he said in a speech
closing the summit. The Treasury on Friday added Chinese artificial
intelligence company SenseTime to a list of “Chinese military-industrial
complex companies,” accusing it of having developed facial recognition
programs that can determine a target’s ethnicity, with a particular focus on
identifying ethnic Uyghurs. As a result, the company will fall under an
investment ban for US investors.