China responds to EU sanctions

China on Monday announced sanctions against 10 individuals and four entities in the EU, saying they had severely harmed China's sovereignty and interests and maliciously spread lies and disinformation.

The European Union imposed unilateral sanctions on Chinese individuals and an entity on March 22, citing so-called human rights issues in Xinjiang, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said this move, based on nothing but lies and disinformation, disregards and distorts facts, grossly interferes in China's internal affairs, flagrantly breaches international law and basic norms governing international relations and severely undermines China-EU relations.

"China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this," said the spokesperson, adding the Chinese government is firmly determined to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests.

"The Chinese side urges the EU side to reflect on itself, face squarely the severity of its mistake and redress it," said the spokesperson, urging the EU side to stop lecturing others on human rights and interfering in their internal affairs. The EU side must end the hypocritical practice of double standards and stop going further down the wrong path, the spokesperson added. "Otherwise, China will resolutely make further reactions."