US lawmakers expected to give final approval to Uygur bill next week
- If signed into law by President Trump, Washington could impose sanctions on Chinese officials over internment camps in Xinjiang
- The bill is expected to be considered under a procedure commonly used to expeditiously move non-controversial legislation
The US House of Representatives will soon vote on Senate-approved legislation that would pave the way for sanctions on Chinese officials over the treatment of ethnic minority groups in China’s west, three congressional staff members said on Friday.
Lawmakers introduced the legislation last year as a response to Beijing’s mass internment of Uygurs and other largely Muslim ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The Uygur Human Rights Policy Act will move to the House floor on Wednesday, two staff members said.
There were no changes to the Senate’s bill, they said, meaning that if the lower chamber approved the legislation – as it is expected to – the bill would go to President Donald Trump to be signed into law. He could reject the bill, but presidential vetoes can be overturned by a two-thirds majority in Congress.
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US House passes Uygur law demanding sanctions on China over human rights abuses in Xinjiang
Along with other hot-button human rights issues such as Hong Kong, there is overwhelming and bipartisan support among lawmakers for a stern US response to Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang.