Trump signs bill pressuring China over repression of Uighur Muslims
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump
signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions over the
repression of China's Uighur Muslims, as excerpts from a book by his
former national security adviser alleged he had approved of their mass
detention.
The bill, which Congress passed with only one "no" vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression of members of China's Muslim minority.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in the Xinjiang
region. The US State Department has accused Chinese officials of
subjecting Muslims to torture, abuse "and trying to basically erase
their culture and their religion."
China denies mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training.
One of the main exile groups, the World Uyghur Congress, thanked Trump for signing the law, adding that it "gave hope to the desperate Uighur people".
Trump
signed the bill as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held his first
face-to-face meeting since last year with China's top diplomat, Yang
Jiechi.
Trump issued a signing statement that some of the bill's
requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct
diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory, not mandatory.
Trump
did not hold a ceremony to mark his signing, which came as newspapers
published excerpts from the new book by former national security adviser
John Bolton.
Among other allegations, Bolton says Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping's
help to win re-election during a closed-door 2019 meeting, and that
Trump said Xi should go ahead with building the camps in Xinjiang.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Comments