The Advent of 21st Century International Sanctions Amid Human Rights Violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Abstract

International condemnation of the People’s Republic of China’s behavior in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region has amplified in recent years, sparking the implementation of sanctions targeting China’s economy and government. While these sanctions were created to mitigate China’s unethical actions, the effectiveness and potency of such policies remain questionable and thus require examination into the consequences of adopting economic and political sanctions. By contrasting the current circumstance to historical examples of sanctions directed at economic powerhouses, the results deem that current sanctions targeting China are tenuous and ineffective. In addition, the study exhibits that current sanctions are fueling further conflict between China and democratic western countries rather than solving the issue at hand.