China’s Threat to Free Speech in Europe
The current standoff is, in essence, about the future of free speech in Europe. If notoriously feckless European officials fail to stand firm in the face of mounting Chinese pressure, Europeans who dare publicly to criticize the CCP in the future can expect to pay an increasingly high personal cost for doing so.
China’s Threat to Free Speech in Europe
Soeren Kern | Gatestone Institute | March 31, 2021
China has imposed sanctions on more than two dozen European and British lawmakers, academics, think tanks and businesses. The move comes after the European Union and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
China contends that its sanctions are tit for tat — morally equivalent retaliation — in response to those imposed by Western countries. This is false. The European sanctions are for crimes against humanity, whereas the Chinese sanctions seek to silence European critics of the Chinese Communist Party.
The current standoff is, in essence, about the future of free speech in Europe. If notoriously feckless European officials fail to stand firm in the face of mounting Chinese pressure, Europeans who dare publicly to criticize the CCP in the future can expect to pay an increasingly high personal cost for doing so.
