Tory MP Sanctioned by Beijing for Objecting to Rights Abuses Speaks Out on Ottawa’s Proposed Parliamentary Exchange Amid Sanctions

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Feb 6, 2026 - 10:58 Updated: Feb 6, 2026 - 10:51
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Tory MP Sanctioned by Beijing for Objecting to Rights Abuses Speaks Out on Ottawa’s Proposed Parliamentary Exchange Amid Sanctions

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Tory MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong says if parliamentary exchanges are to take place between Canada and China as pushed for by Ottawa, there cannot be any Chinese sanctions on Canadian MPs or parliamentary committees.

During his visit to China last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasized “the importance of ongoing parliamentary exchanges and opportunities for enhanced understanding and communication between the two countries” when he met with Zhao Leji, chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Jan. 15.
In a Feb. 5 statement, Chong, who has been sanctioned by China for speaking out against Beijing’s rights abuses, said that these “exchanges cannot take place unless there is reciprocity between Canada and [China].”

“That means there cannot be any sanctions on Canadian Members of Parliament or on Canadian parliamentary committees if any parliamentary exchanges are to take place,” he said.

Chong’s comments come after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced last week while he was visiting China that he had received assurance that Chinese leader Xi Jinping would remove sanctions on sitting UK parliamentarians.

The Chinese regime had sanctioned nine UK individuals in March 2021, in retaliation against the UK government’s earlier sanctions against Chinese officials and entities identified as responsible for violations against Uyghurs and other minorities in the Xinjiang region of China.

Chong noted that last year, Beijing similarly lifted sanctions imposed on members and a subcommittee of the European Parliament, and said this was a precondition demanded by the European Union to begin talks with China.

“Following on the Prime Minister’s new agreements with [China], I expect a similar outcome for Canada,” Chong said.

In 2021, China announced sanctions against Chong, who was then the vice chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. China’s sanctions also targeted Canada’s parliamentary Subcommittee on International Human Rights, as well as Gayle Manchin, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and Tony Perkins, vice chair of USCIRF. Beijing’s sanctions came after Canada and the United States sanctioned Chinese officials involved in rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.

Sanctioned individuals are prohibited from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and doing business with Chinese individuals and entities.

Chong’s family in Hong Kong has also been targeted by the Chinese regime due to Chong speaking out against Beijing, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service revealed in 2023.

Chong said that if the Chinese regime does lift sanctions on him and the subcommittee, he expects Ottawa to ensure that sanctions placed on Chinese “officials and entities responsible for the genocide against the Uyghur people nonetheless remain in place.”

Canada sanctioned eight senior Chinese officials in 2024 for “grave human rights violations” against Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, and Uyghurs.
Then-Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said, “Canada is deeply concerned by the human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet and against those who practise Falun Gong. We call on the Chinese government to put an end to this systematic campaign of repression and uphold its international human rights obligations.”

The sanctioned Chinese officials are subjected to an assets freeze and are prohibited from “engaging in any activity related to any property of these individuals or providing financial or related services to them,” Global Affairs Canada said.

Chong said in his Feb. 5 statement that the lifting of sanctions on him and Canada’s parliamentary subcommittee would “also make it clear that the imposition of sanctions is not a legitimate tool to counter those voicing concerns about human rights and the rule of law.”

“While Uyghurs continue to suffer human rights violations, Hong Kongers continue to see their civil liberties curtailed and Taiwan continues to be threatened, my colleagues and I will not change the way we raise these issues, whether or not the sanctions are lifted.”

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