China has warned the United states (U.S.) from passing UIGHUR Act allows the U.S. to impose sanctions against Chinese Officials for abusing human rights in Xinjiang
The People’s Republic of China has warned the United states (U.S.) from interfering in its internal matters after the United States (U.S.) House of Representatives voted to approve Uyghur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response (UIGHUR) Act of 2019.
The Act, if enacted, will allow the U.S. to impose sanctions against Chinese Officials for abusing human rights in far Western Region of Xinjiang in China. The Bill is now awaiting review form the Senate. It will either get approved or will require amendments. Post this, it will be tabled to Trump for his final approval.
Earlier on Tuesday, i.e., December 3, 2019, lawmakers in U.S. voted 407 to 1 to approve the UIGHUR Act of 2019, which commands the U.S. Administration to identify and sanction Chinese Officials deemed responsible for their involvement in the mass detention camps in China.
In a statement, the Director of the Foreign Ministry Information Department of China – Hua Chunying said, “We urge the US to immediately correct its mistake, to stop the above bill on Xinjiang from becoming law, to stop using Xinjiang as a way to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.”
She added, “The Bill deliberately defames the human rights situation in Xinjiang and discredits Beijing’s efforts to fight against extremism and terrorism in the region.”
Clarifying on Muslim Uyghurs, the statement further read, “The core of the Xinjiang issue [in China] is not human rights, ethnic minority or religion; instead, the core is anti-terrorism and anti-separatism.”
What does the Bill say?
The Bill passed by the House requires the President of U.S. – Donald Trump to submit a list of Chinese Officials involved in violation of human rights in Xinjiang to the Congress, within 4 months of the legislation’s enactment.
The UIGHUR Act also demands that Chinese Officials accused of abusing the human rights, will be subject to sanctions the very same day. It would also mean seizing their U.S. based assets and restricting their entry into U.S.
The bill mentions the name of Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region – Chen Quanguo for imposing sanctions.
The sanctions would be imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act 2012.
The Global Magnitsky Act
The Global Magnitsky Act, formally known as the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal and Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012, is a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by Former U.S. President – Barack Obama in December 2012, intending to punish Russian officials responsible for the death of Russian tax accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a Moscow prison in 2009. Since 2016 the bill, which applies globally, authorizes the US government to sanction those who it sees as human rights offenders, freeze their assets, and ban them from entering the U.S.
What are these detention camps?
U.S. has accused China of continued mass detention of religious and ethnic minorities. Upto 2 million Muslim Uyghurs and other minority groups are detained in these detention camps, which are working to eradicate their language and cultural heritage. The Uyghurs are Muslims of Turkic ethnicity who live in East and Central Asia. They are one of the 55 ethnic minorities in the region. They have been long accusing Chinese authorities of cultural, religious and economic discrimination. Around 2 million of Uyghurs are believed to live in detention camps.
Uyghurs in Xinjiang live under a full-fledged police State with extensive controls and restrictions upon their religious, cultural and social life. They are not allowed to own books about Uyghurs, grow a beard or have a prayer rug. Besides, the Government had also installed cameras in the homes of private citizens.
China says these are training camps
China had until now, denied existence of such camps. But off late, they have termed them as vocational training centers, which are a part of a region-wide program, designed to curb Islamic extremism.
China may also impose sanctions on U.S.
The Editor-in-Chief of China’s Global Times newspaper – Hu Xijin said China might ban all U.S. diplomatic passport holders from entering Xinjiang. Besides, China is also considering visa restrictions on U.S. officials and legislators who are meddling in the Xinjiang issue.
Recent Tensions
China has banned the U.S. warships and military aircrafts from making stops at Hong Kong, in response to Donald Trump signing the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act (HKHRDA).
The HKHRDA refers to a U.S. Federal Law that allows U.S. to impose sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for human rights abuses in Hong Kong. It also requires the U.S. Department of State and other agencies to conduct an annual review to determine whether changes in Hong Kong’s political status (its relationship with mainland China) justify changing the unique, favourable trade relations between the U.S. and Hong Kong.
In addition, Trump had also signed into law the ‘Protect Hong Kong Act’ which prohibits the sale of U.S. made munitions such as tear gas and rubber bullets to law enforcement agencies in Hong Kong.
The recent developments come as China and U.S. are close to signing the Phase-1 of the ongoing trade deal between them. The U.S. is set to impose a tariff of 15% on fresh set of Chinese goods worth U.S. $ 156 billion on December 15, 2019. If the U.S. goes ahead with it, China will also retaliate with another round of tariffs on U.S. goods worth U.S. 75 billion.
