Wakefield, United Kingdom

In 2019 and 2016, Wakefield, a city in Yorkshire, established twinning relations with the Chinese towns of Nanning and Xiangyang.  The council declared in September 2020 that it would end the city's partnership with China as a consequence of international condemnation of China's persecution of the Uyghur people.

The council held a public consultation, and the results revealed that locals had “overwhelmingly” negative opinions about the partnerships. Tom Gordon, a local councillor, sent a letter to the council leader requesting the city's connections with China to be reviewed.

“Wakefield Council is being vocal on an issue that many are still silent about”, said Councillor Gordon. As the first British local authority to openly take explicit and decisive action concerning the genocide of the Uyghur people, this example sets a precedent for other local governments in the UK to follow.