For all these years, the EU rallied around the world against China, condemning Xi Jinping’s government for the systematic repression and mistreatment of Uyghurs. But recent data from the Customs Office of China, a government body which documents the record of import-export, exposed the lack of seriousness on the part of Brussels on this controversial issue.
According to the data from the Chinese Customs Office, imports of the European Union (EU) from Xinjiang province surged by 34% last year. In fact, exports from Xinjiang have been rising for years, reaching at more than $1.1 billion in 2022.
An assessment of the monthly Xinjiang export data of individual European nations also reveals a growing trend.
Belgium was the biggest purchaser of goods from Xinjiang, increasing its imports to US$34.8 million, followed by France at US$6.8 million.
EU sanctions everyone but itself
This comes against the backdrop of systematic persecution and repression of the Uyghur community in Xinjiang by the Chinese government. Many investigative reports have uncovered that Xi Jinping’s regime is running a well-organised surveillance system and a structure of state violence in Xinjiang.
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While the US has persistently termed the persecution of Uyghurs as genocide, its chief ally, the EU stated last year that it would ban all goods which were the products of forced labour in Xinjiang.
Brussels followed the direction of the US which implemented a law that solely banned goods from the Xinjiang region.
The EU didn’t stop there, it also imposed sanctions on Chinese officials, accusing them of running internment camps in which thousands of Uyghurs are held.
Brussels sanctioned Zhu Hailun, former deputy head of the Communist Party in Xinjiang, Wang Junzheng, party secretary of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (PSB) etc.
The EU froze the assets of the listed Chinese individuals and imposed a travel ban on them. Brussels even made it illegal for its member countries, citizens and entities to give funds to the people sanctioned.
The true face of the EU
However, with the revelation of the fact that exports from Xinjiang to the EU have not only continued but also risen, the nefarious face of Brussels has been uncovered.
The data from the Chinese Customs Office manifests that the EU is not concerned over the miserable plight of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, it also exposes the shallow statements of the flawed regional bloc which has often stated that it will uphold the principles of human rights and democracy in global affairs.
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It must be noted that the same EU, which is doing business with the Xinjiang authorities, has made it illegal for its member states and entities to provide funds to the Chinese officials it sanctioned. The hypocritical tendency and dishonest character of the EU reaffirm the fact that this hegemonic body, which dominates the international-rules-based order, functions on the belief that international laws don’t apply to it.
The EU is often on the frontlines of the disinformation campaigns of the West which are intended to internationally ostracize countries that either refuse to come under the shadow of its dominance or take an independent stance on crucial issues of foreign policy. Therefore, the uncovering of the data of the Chinese Customs Office is a testament to the double-standard nature and nefarious agenda of the EU.
