Beijing said it will sanction three U.S lawmakers and one ambassador in retaliation for similar actions the Trump administration took against Chinese officials last week over alleged human rights abuses against China’s minority Uighur population in the western region of Xinjiang.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced the “corresponding sanctions” on Monday, Reuters reported.
Hua said the U.S. move “seriously damaged China-U.S. relations,” and that Beijing “will respond further according to the development of the situation,” according to The Associated Press. She did not spell out the sanctions beyond saying they would correspond to the ones issued by the U.S., the AP noted.
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The sanctions target Sens. Marco RubioMarco Antonio RubioGOP chairman vows to protect whistleblowers following Vindman retirement over ‘bullying’ Lincoln Project offers list of GOP senators who ‘protect’ Trump in new ad GOP Miami mayor does not commit to voting for Trump MORE (R-Fla.) and Ted CruzRafael (Ted) Edward CruzOh, Canada: Should the US emulate Canada’s National Health Service? Trump tweets his support for Goya Foods amid boycott Trump says he’ll sign order with ‘road to citizenship’ for DACA recipients MORE (R-Texas), as well as Rep. Chris SmithChristopher (Chris) Henry SmithNew Jersey incumbents steamroll progressive challengers in primaries Republican Rep. Chris Smith easily wins primary in New Jersey NY, NJ lawmakers call for more aid to help fight coronavirus MORE (R-N.J.), Ambassador for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, according to the news services.
Spokespeople for the lawmakers were not immediately available for comment.
The U.S. officials targeted by China’s sanctions have been critical of Beijing’s treatment of the minority Uighur population. Rubio and Cruz have both sponsored legislation that would punish China’s actions in Xinjiang, and Smith has been a vocal critic of China on issues ranging from Xinjiang to Hong Kong and the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters notes.
The Chinese government is accused of committing human rights abuses against the Uighurs in the Xinjiang region, with reports finding that members of the Muslim minority group have been put in internment camps. Last month, The Associated Press reported that the Chinese government has acted in recent years to slash birth rates among the minority group through birth control and sterilization.
Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoHillicon Valley: Facebook considers political ad ban | Senators raise concerns over civil rights audit | Amazon reverses on telling workers to delete TikTok Amazon backtracks, says email asking employees to delete TikTok was sent in error Amazon asks employees to delete TikTok from mobile devices: report MORE last week announced the U.S. imposed sanctions on senior Chinese officials over the alleged human rights abuses. The sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act apply to three Chinese Communist Party officials, the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau and a former government official.