Trump Signs Uyghur Human Rights Act... China Expected to React (Comprehensive)

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 17th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill sanctioning China's human rights abuses in the Uyghur region. A backlash from China, which has opposed the bill, is also expected.

The White House announced that President Trump signed the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020," which allows sanctions against officials of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China, who have been involved in human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

The bill had passed the U.S. Senate and then the House of Representatives on the 27th of last month, leaving only the president's signature pending.

The Uyghur Human Rights Act requires that within 180 days of its implementation, the identities of those involved in human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region be reported to Congress, and mandates sanctions such as freezing their assets in the U.S. and banning their entry into the United States.