Eight Chinese Officials Added to Sanctions

Summary#

These final regulations, SOR/2024-253, amend the Special Economic Measures (People’s Republic of China) Regulations to add eight people to Canada’s list of sanctioned individuals. The measures took effect on December 9, 2024 and were applied before their Canada Gazette publication.

What it does#

• Adds eight named individuals to the sanctions list:
  • CHEN Quanguo
  • TUNIYAZ Erkin
  • ZAKIR Shohrat
  • PENG Jiarui
  • WU Yingjie
  • ZHANG Hongbo
  • HUO Liujun
  • YOU Quan
• Prohibits any person in Canada, or any Canadian outside Canada, from:
  • dealing in the property of these listed persons;
  • entering into transactions with them;
  • providing services to them;
  • transferring property to them; or
  • otherwise making goods available to them.
• Makes the listed individuals inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
• Adds their names to Canada’s sanctions lists (the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List) so banks and others can screen against them.
• Specifies enforcement penalties for knowingly breaking the rules:
  • summary conviction: a fine of up to $25,000 or up to 1 year in prison, or both;
  • indictable conviction: up to 5 years in prison.
• States the regulations apply from registration and were made effective before publication.

Who's affected#

• The eight listed people named above.
• Canadians and anyone in Canada who might deal with the listed individuals.
• Canadian banks and financial institutions, which must update screening systems and block prohibited dealings.
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada Border Services Agency, which have enforcement roles if the rules are broken.
• It is unclear from the text if any Canadian businesses or other organisations have existing ties to these individuals; the government says it does not expect significant links.

Why it matters#

• These measures restrict travel, financial dealings and business with the named people.
• For Canadians and Canadian businesses, it means an obligation to avoid transactions or services involving these individuals and to follow screening and reporting rules.
• The action is part of Canada’s response to reported human rights violations in regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet and against religious minorities.
• The listing signals Canada’s alignment with international partners pushing for accountability, and raises the personal and reputational costs for the listed officials.