BEIJING: Beijing on Thursday slammed US President Donald Trump after he signed into a legislation that condemns against senior Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims in China’s restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang region.
The Chinese foreign ministry said t that the act is a “maliciously attacks” on China’s policy in the Xinjiang region.
“This so-called act deliberately slanders the human rights situation in Xinjiang and maliciously attacks China’s policy in governing Xinjiang,” the ministry said.
China will “resolutely hit back and the US will bear the burden of all subsequent consequences”, it said in a statement after Trump signed the the Uighur Human Rights Act into law.
Uighur Human Rights Policy Act
The Uighur Human Rights Policy Act, 2020 holds accountable the perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labour and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uighurs and other minorities in China, Trump said.
However, a section of the Act purports to limit his discretion to terminate inadmissibility sanctions under the Act, he said on Wednesday.
In some circumstances, this limitation could be inconsistent with my constitutional authorities , Trump said.
The bill, which includes sanctions on the senior Chinese officials directly involved in the crackdown on the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang, was passed with an overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
The Uighur Human Rights Project (UHRP) welcomed the enactment of the law.
Uighur Muslims
The Uighur is a Muslim majority in Xinjiang province, situated in the western part of China and is officially designated as an autonomous region.
According to experts, over one million Uighurs have been detained in internment camps where they are forced to undergo forceful re-education or indoctrination.
The Chinese government, on the other hand, has continuously denied any human rights violations in the region.
After initially denying their existence, Beijing has gone on a public relations blitz in a bid to counter the global outcry against what it calls “vocational education centres” in Xinjiang.
Since last October, the local government has also organised tours of the camps for diplomats and media outlets.