China sanctions U.S. officials for criticism

— China said Monday it will impose sanctions on three U.S. lawmakers and one ambassador in response to similar actions taken by the U.S. last week against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against Muslims in the Xinjiang region.

U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Rep. Chris Smith and Ambassa- dor for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback were targeted, as was the Congres- sional-Executive Commission on China. The four have been critical of the ruling Communist Party’s policies toward minority groups and people of faith.

Foreign ministry spokes- person Hua Chunying said the U.S. move had “seriously damaged China-U.S. relations” and that China was determined to uphold its national sovereignty against what it sees as interference in its inter- nal affairs.

“China will respond fur- ther according to the development of the situation,” Hua said.

She did not spell out the sanctions beyond saying they would correspond to the American ones. The U.S. prohibited any prop- erty transactions by Amer- icans with four senior Chi- nese officials and barred three of them from enter- ing the U.S.

There was no indication that any of the sanctioned Americans had plans to travel to China.

The sanctioned Chi- nese officials include Chen

Quanguo, who heads the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where more than 1 million members of Muslim minority groups have been incarcerated in what China terms de-radicalization and retraining centers.

Critics have likened the camps to prisons to which inmates are sentenced with little due process and where they are compelled to denounce their religion, language and culture and pledge allegiance to the Communist Party and its leader, Xi Jinping. An Associated Press investigation has also discovered allegations that women in Xinjiang’s Uighur ethnic group were forced to use birth control or undergo involuntary sterilizations.

Ties between China and the U.S. have deteriorated steadily over the coronavirus pandemic, human rights, Beijing policy toward Hong Kong and trade.