US lawmakers demand wider sanctions on China for crackdown on Muslim Uygurs
Senator Marco Rubio and fellow Republicans want the Trump administration to expand the list of Chinese entities barred from purchasing equipment that could be used for surveillance
The Republican leaders of a US congressional commission on China urged President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday to broaden sanctions on Chinese officials over Beijing’s treatment of minority Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
In a letter on Wednesday, Senator Marco Rubio, chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and Representative Chris Smith, the co-chairman, asked Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to expand the list of Chinese entities barred from purchasing equipment that could be used for surveillance.
Speaking out: Uygurs in US break silence on China’s crackdown
The US State Department on Tuesday expressed deep concern over China’s “worsening crackdown” on minority Muslims in the Xinjiang region, as the Trump administration considered sanctions against Chinese senior officials and companies linked to allegations of human rights abuses.
Discussions have gained momentum within the US government over possible economic penalties in response to reports of mass detentions of ethnic Uygurs and other Muslims, which has prompted a growing international outcry.