On March 23rd, Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming met with Director of the Office of the Belgian Federal Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antoine Evrard, and raised serious protest against the unilateral sanctions imposed by the EU against China.

Ambassador Cao stated that the EU has imposed sanctions on China based on Xinjiang-related lies and false information, deliberately provoked confrontation, and grossly interfered in China's internal affairs. China expresses its firm opposition and rejection. The implementation of sanctions on 10 European personnel and 4 entities is a just move to defend China's legitimate rights and interests. China's resolve to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests are firm. We urge the EU to recognize the seriousness of the mistake, stop confrontation, so as not to cause greater damage to China-EU relations.

Ambassador Cao said the Chinese side expresses deep concern over recent Xinjiang-related proposals in the Belgian Parliament which distort facts, confuse black and white, and undermine China's sovereignty. We ask the Belgian side to respect the facts, discard prejudice on China, and stop using Xinjiang-related matters to interfere in China's internal affairs.