France, May 1 -- China will lift sanctions on several Members of the European Parliament and the parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, the EU's top parliamentary official has said. The move comes as tensions rise over new US trade tariffs targeting both China and the EU.

The sanctions, first introduced in 2021, had targeted 10 individuals - including four sitting MEPs and one former member - in retaliation for Western measures against Chinese officials accused of the mass detention of Muslim Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region.

The restrictions banned the affected people and their families from travelling to China and blocked them and their associated organisations from doing business there.

China has now also removed sanctions on the ...