(LibertySociety.com) – In July 2020, the New York Times reported that President Donald Trump’s administration sanctioned China over the mass detention of the Uyghurs. In January, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared the Chinese government was committing genocide. Recent action by the US and its allies prompted the Chinese to issue a warning.
On March 22, reports said the US joined Canada, Britain, and the European Union to impose joint sanctions on China for human rights abuses.
The U.S. is designating two People’s Republic of China officials under our Global Magnitsky sanctions in connection with serious human rights abuses in Xinjiang. We stand united with the UK, Canada, and the EU in promoting accountability for those who abuse human rights.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) March 22, 2021
When the news broke, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters that the new sanctions are slanderous and “an affront to the reputation and dignity” of China’s people. Hua warned the allied countries they would “pay the price for their folly and arrogance.”
The Council on Foreign Relations issued a report in early March alleging China has imprisoned more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims since 2017, subjecting them to horrific abuse. Although the Chinese government has not specifically responded to that report, it denied all allegations of genocide in February.
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