China Lifts Sanctions For Members Of The European Parliament

JAKARTA - China has decided to lift sanctions against members of the European Parliament as well as a human rights subcommittee, said parliament president Roberta Metsola.

China is increasingly eager to establish closer economic and political ties with Europe to limit the damage caused by tariffs in most of its exports to the United States.

Four members of the European Parliament are currently among 10 people who were sanctioned against China in 2021 in response to Western action against Chinese officials accused of mass detention of Uighur Muslims.

"Our parliamentary committee should be able to discuss the interests of Europe with their partners in China without fear of a bad impact," Metsola said in a statement.

"Our relationship with China remains complex and has many sides. The best way to approach it is through engagement and dialogue," he continued.

Chinese sanctions prohibit the affected people and their families from traveling to China and prohibit them and related organizations from doing business with China.

In response to Chinese sanctions, the European Parliament suspended the EU-Chingkok Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, which aims to put EU companies at an equal position in China.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said "economic and trade cooperation between China and Europe complements and benefits each other".

"Chinese and EU legislative bodies are an important part of China-EU relations, and we hope that both sides will meet halfway and strengthen the exchange," he said.

"Means of the European Parliament are welcome to visit China more often," he continued.

China's decision on Wednesday excluded Reinhard Buetikofer, a former member of the European Parliament of the German Green Party who is part of a group sanctioned by Beijing.

He congratulated his former colleagues on lifting sanctions.

But he said it was unfortunate that Parliamentary leaders did not do more to get Beijing to lift the sanctions that still apply to six people from parliament, civil society, and think tank.