US sanctions China over Xinjiang ‘genocide’

WASHINGTON: On his way out, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has hit China with new sanctions by declaring that China’s policies on Muslims and ethnic minorities in western Xinjiang province constitute a “genocide”.

Pompeo made the determination on Tuesday just 24 hours before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. There was no immediate response from the incoming Biden team, although several members have been sympathetic to such a designation in the past. Pompeo’s determination does not come with any immediate repercussions.

Many of those accused of having taken part in repression in Xinjiang are already under US sanctions, and Tuesday’s move is the latest in a series of steps the outgoing Trump administration has taken against China.

Since last year, the administration has steadily ramped up pressure on Beijing, imposing sanctions on numerous officials and companies for their activities in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong and the South China Sea.

Five days ago, the administration announced it would halt imports of cotton and tomatoes from Xinjiang with Customs and

Border Protection officials saying they would block products from there suspected of being produced with forced labour. Xinjiang is a major global supplier of cotton.

China has reportedly imprisoned over a million people, including Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups, in a network of concentration camps. Beijing has denied all the charges.