The U.S., Canada, Britain and the European Union(EU) on Monday announced sanctions against China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang, a coordinated effort at holding Beijing accountable for its suppression of ethnic minorities in the region.

The moves come after a tense high-level meeting between the U.S. and China, as well as growing calls for democracies to take joint action against the authoritarian government in Beijing.

The EU was the first to act, blacklisting four Chinese officials linked to the Xinjiang region and a public security bureau, which are all subject to travel bans and asset freezes.

The U.S. added two names to its Xinjiang sanctions list, followed by Britain and Canada, both imposing asset freezes and travel bans on the same subjects as the EU.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that the U.S. stands united with Britain, Canada and the EU in "promoting accountability for those who abuse human rights."

China, which strongly denies the abuses in Xinjiang, introduced sanctions of its own against some of its European critics, issuing travel bans and prohibiting those on the list from doing business with China.