US Sanctions Xi Jinping Loyalists... China Condemns as "Serious Interference in Internal Affairs"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yuri] The United States has imposed sanctions on high-ranking Chinese officials, including the Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, citing human rights abuses against the Uyghur (Weiwuer) ethnic group in Xinjiang. Among those sanctioned were loyalists of Chinese President Xi Jinping. In response, China strongly condemned the move as a "serious interference in internal affairs."

According to major foreign media on the 9th (local time), the U.S. Department of State imposed visa restrictions on three Chinese Communist Party officials in Xinjiang and their immediate family members. The sanctioned individuals include Chen Quanguo, Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Zhu Hailun, Secretary of the Xinjiang Political and Legal Affairs Commission, and Wang Mingshan, Secretary of the Autonomous Region Public Security Bureau. Chen Quanguo is known as a loyalist trusted by President Xi.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated, "Additional visa restrictions will be imposed on other Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for the unjust detention and repression of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang." The Treasury Department also designated these three Communist Party officials and the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau for sanctions. Former Secretary of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau, Huo Liujun, was also included in the sanctions list.

These sanctions are based on the "Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016," which freezes the U.S. assets of individuals involved in serious human rights abuses or corruption, restricts their visas, and prohibits U.S. companies from doing business with them. This is the first time the U.S. has sanctioned Chinese officials under this law.

China strongly opposed the U.S. sanctions, calling them interference in internal affairs. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on the 10th (local time), "The U.S. sanctions seriously interfere in China's internal affairs," emphasizing that "they violate the basic norms of international relations and damage China-U.S. relations." He warned, "China will take reciprocal measures against relevant U.S. agencies and individuals interfering in the Xinjiang issue." He added, "We hope the U.S. will immediately withdraw its wrong decision and stop interfering in China's internal affairs. If the U.S. persists, we will definitely retaliate."

Currently, it is reported that over one million Uyghurs are detained in forced labor camps in Xinjiang. China maintains that the camps provide vocational training and are necessary to prevent extremism.