The European Parliament says China has lifted sanctions it imposed on 5 EU lawmakers in 2021
BRUSSELS (AP) — China has lifted sanctions it imposed on five European Union lawmakers in retaliation against the bloc's defense of Uyghur Muslims in the far western Xinjiang region, the EU parliament said on Wednesday.
Beijing imposed a series of measures in March 2021 after the EU, Britain, Canada and the United States launched coordinated sanctions against officials in China over human rights abuses against Uyhgurs in Xinjiang.
Five EU lawmakers were targeted as part of China's retaliation: Michael Gahler, Raphael Glucksmann, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Miriam Lexmann, as well as Reinhard Butikofer, who is no longer a member of the parliament.
They were banned from entering Chinese territory and the move led the parliament to halt all official dialogue with China and hold up an investment deal that EU lawmakers had been due to endorse.
The sanctions lifting was negotiated by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. It comes amid an easing of tensions between the EU and China since U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs against them on April 2.
'Our relationship with China remains complex and multi-faceted. The best way to approach it is through engagement and dialogue,' Metsola said in a statement after informing senior lawmakers of the breakthrough.
But the senior lawmakers insisted that Beijing's move 'does not mean the European Parliament will overlook persistent challenges in EU-China relations,' and they vowed that the assembly will 'remain a strong defender' of human rights.
The Uyghurs are a Turkic, majority Muslim ethnicity native to Xinjiang. After decades of conflict over suppression of their cultural identity, Beijing launched a brutal crackdown on the Uyghurs that some Western governments deem a genocide.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
6 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Charles Rangel's funeral mass draws big names who celebrated the late congressman's life
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton, Gov. Kathy Hochul and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries remembered former U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel's sharp wit, relentless advocacy for Harlem and extraordinary life of public service during a funeral mass for the late congressman in Manhattan on Friday. Rangel, a pioneering congressman and veteran of the Korean War, died on May 26 the age of 94. The mass, held at the historic St. Patrick's Cathedral, came a day after Rangel's body lay in state at New York City Hall, an honor bestowed to only a handful of political figures, including U.S. presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Clinton, who called Rangel one of the most effective members to ever serve in Congress, recalled the congressman's insistence on steering a critical economic program to his Harlem district when Clinton was president, helping to lower unemployment there. 'I don't think I ever knew a happier warrior than Charlie Rangel,' Clinton said. Rangel served in Congress for nearly five decades, becoming a dean of the New York congressional delegation and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as being the first first African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Before his time on Capitol Hill, he earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his military service in the Korean War. Jeffries, the House Democratic Leader, told the crowd at the mass that "America is better off today because of his service' and said, as a young congressman, that the legendary Rangel would simply call him Jeff. 'Now, Charlie Rangel would often call me Jeff. I believe it was short for Jeffries. But I never confirmed that. 'Cause this was Charlie Rangel, and so you go with the flow,' Jeffries said, smiling. Hochul called Rangel 'a giant in American life" and said she would move to rename a street in Harlem after the late congressman, who was sometimes called 'Lion of Lenox Avenue." She thanked the attendees who came to the mass 'not to mourn Charlie, but to celebrate an extraordinary life.'
Miami Herald
17 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
What do Republicans think of Elon Musk? What a poll found after feud with Trump
In the wake of his public feud with President Donald Trump, Elon Musk's popularity with Republicans has waned slightly, according to new polling. In the latest AP-NORC survey, 26% of Republicans said they had a very favorable opinion of the billionaire businessman. By comparison, that figure stood at 38% in April, marking a 12-point decline over the course of two months. Overall, though, a majority of GOP respondents, 64%, said they had either a very or somewhat favorable view of Musk, which is only down 3 points from 67% in April. Meanwhile, Democrats expressed slightly less aversion to Musk. Sixty-five percent of Democrats said they have a very unfavorable view towards the South African-born SpaceX CEO. This is down from 74% in April, marking a 9-point shift. But, the overall share of Democrats who have either a very or somewhat unfavorable view has remained relatively steady — dropping just 2 points from 87% to 85%. And, among Americans generally, Musk's popularity, or lack thereof, has not changed much. Fifty-seven percent of all respondents have a somewhat or very unfavorable view of him, while 34% have a somewhat or very favorable view. In April, these figures stood at 57% and 32%, respectively. The latest poll — which sampled 1,158 U.S. adults June 5-9 and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points — came one week after Musk and Trump had an explosive falling out. The rift, which played out publicly, appeared to end the high-profile partnership between the world's richest man with the world's most powerful man. It began on June 5, when, during a White House press event, Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Musk over his opposition to the GOP-backed spending bill. He also claimed Musk — who formally left his position at the Department of Government Efficiency days earlier — may be suffering from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome.' In response, Musk posted a series of inflammatory messages on X directed at the president. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' he wrote, adding 'Such ingratitude.' He also claimed the president is named in the Epstein files — a series of documents related to investigations of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — and shared a post calling for Trump to be impeached. Musk later deleted the post, AP reported. Later, Trump accused Musk of having gone 'CRAZY' and told CNN 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem.' In recent days, Musk has taken a conciliatory approach. 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week,' he wrote on X on June 11. 'They went too far.' That post came after a phone call between the two men on June 9, according to the New York Times.
Associated Press
19 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Ukraine repatriates more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement with Russia
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has repatriated more bodies of fallen soldiers in line with an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement that Russia returned 1,200 bodies, and 'according to the Russian side, the bodies belong to Ukrainian citizens, in particular military personnel.' The repatriation of the bodies was carried out with the help of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the country's Security Service, the Interior Ministry and other government agencies. Forensic experts will now work to identify the remains, the statement said. The repatriation of the bodies marks one of the largest returns of remains since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. Earlier this week, Russia returned 1,212 bodies of Ukrainian soldiers and received 27 bodies of its own killed troops. The agreement to exchange prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers was the only tangible outcome of the talks in Istanbul that took place June 2. Russia and Ukraine conducted a POW swap on Thursday that included severely wounded and gravely ill captives, although the sides did not report the numbers. In addition to agreeing to exchange POWs and bodies of fallen soldiers, the two sides traded memorandums at the talks that set out conditions for a ceasefire. However, the inclusion of clauses that both sides see as nonstarters make any quick deal unlikely. Despite discussions of a potential truce in the war, Moscow's forces in recent days have launched waves of drones and missiles at Ukraine, with a record bombardment of almost 500 drones on Monday and a wave of 315 drones and seven missiles overnight on Tuesday. Ukraine's air force said Friday that Russia fired 55 Shahed and decoy drones and four ballistic missiles at Ukraine overnight. The air force said air defenses neutralized 43 drones. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the attack. Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday that its air defenses downed 125 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and the annexed Crimea late Thursday and early Friday.
