China has summoned the European and British ambassadors in response to Western countries earlier imposing sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The country “solemnly protests and strongly condemns” the sanctions, according to two Foreign Ministry’s press releases on Tuesday.

There was no place for Europe to lecture China on human rights and the bloc’s decision to sanction officials was based on “lies and false information,” Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Qin Gang said in the press release on summoning European ambassador to China Nicolas Chapius.

China was adamant about protecting its sovereignty, safety and development benefits and would “react accordingly to the wrong acts of Britain,” according to the Foreign Ministry press release on summoning British Ambassador to China Caroline Wilson.

The line was repeated by Chinese spokesperson Hua Chunying in a press conference on the same day, who said the West would eventually “pay the price for their stupidity and arrogance.”

Britain, the European Union, the United States and Canada took joint action on Monday to impose parallel sanctions on senior Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in Xinjiang. It was the first time in three decades that the U.K. or the E.U. has punished China for human right abuses.

More than one million Uyghur Muslims are believed to have been locked up in massive internment camps and subject to forced labor and indoctrination. People who managed to escape also reported torture, forced sterilization and systemic rape.

Wilson was summoned earlier this month for an online article where she said Western media did not hate China despite their critical reporting, but instead played an important role in safeguarding vulnerable voices in the country.

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