WASHINGTON – China may have committed « genocide » in the treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western region of Xinjiang, a non-partisan commission of the US Congress said in a report on Thursday.
The Executive Commission of the Congress for China (CECC) said last year new evidence emerged that « crimes against humanity – and possibly genocide – are taking place » in Xinjiang. She also accused China of harassing Uyghurs in the United States.
China has been widely condemned for setting up complexes in Xinjiang called « vocational training centers » to stamp out extremism and teach people new skills , and that others have labeled concentration camps.
According to the United Nations, at least 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang. Faith leaders, activist groups and others have said crimes against humanity, including genocide, are taking place there.
Beijing denies the allegations and on Thursday its embassy in Washington said the CECC was « obsessed with fabricating all kinds of lies, to denigrate China « .
» The so-called « genocide » is a rumor purposely started by some anti-China forces and a farce to discredit China, « said an embassy spokesman.
The CECC report called for a formal « US determination of atrocities to be committed » in Xinjiang, within 90 days of the passage of US law on December 27. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has already weighed a determination in his final days in office before President-elect Joe Biden succeeded President Donald Trump on January 20. In light of the current turmoil in Washington, officials have downplayed the possibility of an announcement beforehand.
CECC co-chair, Democratic representative Jim McGovern, described China’s human rights violations last year as « shocking and unprecedented » and urged Congress and the future Biden administration to hold Beijing accountable.
« The United States must continue to fight with the people of China and the world in a unified and coordinated response to Chinese human rights violations Run government, « he said.
In Trump’s last year in power, relations between the world’s two largest economies fell to their lowest levels in decades, and there were disagreements on issues such as human rights, coronavirus pandemic, trade and espionage.
Experts say a US genocide provision would be huge e Embarrassment for China, a permanent member of the United States Security Council.
It could also pose problems for Biden by complicating his business with Beijing, even though his campaign had already declared that one in Xinjiang before the November elections Genocide took place.
In October, Trump’s national security advisor, Robert O’Brien, said Beijing had committed « something close to » genocide and other officials had been referring to concentration camps in Xinjiang.
Under international law Crimes against humanity are defined as widespread and systematic, while the onus of genocide – the intent to destroy part of a population – can be more difficult to prove.
Expectations that Pompeo could explain the genocide were raised in the June was awakened when he described as « shocking » and « worrying » that China was facing forced sterilization, forced abortion and forced family plugs against Muslims.
He was referring to a report by German researcher Adrian Zenz on Xinjiang, which the CECC report also cited.
Zenz said his results were the strongest evidence yet that Beijing’s Xinjiang -Policy met one of the criteria set out in the United States’ Genocide Convention, namely « imposition of measures to prevent births within the (target) group ».
A declaration on genocide in the USA would mean that the countries should thoroughly should think about giving companies the opportunity to do business with Xinjiang, a world leader in cotton. This would also increase the pressure for further US sanctions.
On Wednesday the US Customs and Border Protection announced that the US is imposing a regional ban on all cotton and tomato products from Xinjiang on allegations that they are being detained Uyghurs are produced with forced labor.
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