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US holds off on China sanctions over Uighur mistreatment amid trade deal
Trump had previously vowed to sanction China over its mistreatment of Uighur Muslims. However, now that a new trade deal is on the table, he may be going back on his promise.
AFP
-
June 22, 2020
President Donald Trump has said he held off on imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang to protect US-China trade negotiations, according to an interview published on Sunday.
Activists say China has rounded up at least one million Uighurs and other Turkic peoples and is trying to forcibly assimilate them by wiping out their culture and punishing basic Islamic practices.
US holds off on China sanctions amid trade deal
Beijing counters that it is running vocational educational centers that offer an alternative to Islamic extremism, but the issue has further shaken US-China ties, which were already troubled by a bitter trade dispute.
When asked by news site Axios why he has held off on imposing direct US Treasury sanctions on Chinese officials linked to Xinjiang, Trump said: “Well, we were in the middle of a major trade deal.”
“And I made a great deal, $250 billion potentially worth of purchases,” the president added. “And by the way, they’re buying a lot, you probably have seen.”
“And when you’re in the middle of a negotiation and then all of a sudden you start throwing additional sanctions on — we’ve done a lot. I put tariffs on China, which are far worse than any sanction you can think of.”
The Trump administration has been criticized for being selective on punishing human rights abuses, though the president last week signed legislation that would authorize sanctions against officials involved in the Xinjiang detentions.
Read more: Trump threatens decoupling from China amid talks
While Treasury sanctions could hit particularly hard by targeting assets, other US government departments including Commerce and State have imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Trump administration makes sharp U turn
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law an act that authorizes sanctions against Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims. Trump sanctions on China over Uighurs reflects the political temperature between Beijing and Washington, which is increasingly reaching fever pitch. The United States had earlier been unable to block a Chinese law on Hong Kong, and is now looking for ways to punish China in the global sphere as retribution.
Read more: Trump sanctions China over Uighurs
Trump’s announcement came just as excerpts emerged from an explosive new book by his former national security advisor John Bolton, who said the president told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that he approved of the vast detention camps.
Trump was widely expected to sign the Uighur Human Rights Act, which passed Congress almost unanimously amid wide outrage over China’s treatment of the minority.
The bill, which passed the US Congress with only a single ‘no’ vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for the oppression of members of China’s Muslim minority.
“The Act holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China,” Trump said in a statement.
However, by now holding off on sanctioning China, Trump has taken a massive U turn from his previous promise to do so.
Former national security advisor slams Trump in his book
The Axios interview was conducted on Friday, as the Trump administration battled the fallout from explosive allegations in a book by the president’s former national security advisor John Bolton, who was closely involved in diplomatic matters.
Bolton alleges in his book that Trump told Xi that he approved of the Xinjiang camps, an allegation denied by the American leader.
The former National Security Advisor also claimed that in 2018, Trump asked Xi to ramp up US farm purchases to help him with his re-election bid in 2020.
“No, not at all,” Trump told Axios when asked about the request.
“What I told everybody we deal with — not just President Xi — I want them to do business with this country. I want them to do a lot more business with this country.”
“What’s good for the country is good for me… What’s good for the country is also good for an election.”
Trump added: “But I don’t go around saying, ‘Oh, help me with my election.’ Why would I say that?”
“And remember, when I’m dealing with him, the whole room is loaded up with people… I wouldn’t want to say a thing like that.”
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/...ons-over-uighur-mistreatment-amid-trade-deal/
Trump had previously vowed to sanction China over its mistreatment of Uighur Muslims. However, now that a new trade deal is on the table, he may be going back on his promise.
AFP
-
June 22, 2020
President Donald Trump has said he held off on imposing sanctions on Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang to protect US-China trade negotiations, according to an interview published on Sunday.
Activists say China has rounded up at least one million Uighurs and other Turkic peoples and is trying to forcibly assimilate them by wiping out their culture and punishing basic Islamic practices.
US holds off on China sanctions amid trade deal
Beijing counters that it is running vocational educational centers that offer an alternative to Islamic extremism, but the issue has further shaken US-China ties, which were already troubled by a bitter trade dispute.
When asked by news site Axios why he has held off on imposing direct US Treasury sanctions on Chinese officials linked to Xinjiang, Trump said: “Well, we were in the middle of a major trade deal.”
“And I made a great deal, $250 billion potentially worth of purchases,” the president added. “And by the way, they’re buying a lot, you probably have seen.”
“And when you’re in the middle of a negotiation and then all of a sudden you start throwing additional sanctions on — we’ve done a lot. I put tariffs on China, which are far worse than any sanction you can think of.”
The Trump administration has been criticized for being selective on punishing human rights abuses, though the president last week signed legislation that would authorize sanctions against officials involved in the Xinjiang detentions.
Read more: Trump threatens decoupling from China amid talks
While Treasury sanctions could hit particularly hard by targeting assets, other US government departments including Commerce and State have imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
Trump administration makes sharp U turn
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed into law an act that authorizes sanctions against Chinese officials over the mass incarceration of Uighur Muslims. Trump sanctions on China over Uighurs reflects the political temperature between Beijing and Washington, which is increasingly reaching fever pitch. The United States had earlier been unable to block a Chinese law on Hong Kong, and is now looking for ways to punish China in the global sphere as retribution.
Read more: Trump sanctions China over Uighurs
Trump’s announcement came just as excerpts emerged from an explosive new book by his former national security advisor John Bolton, who said the president told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that he approved of the vast detention camps.
Trump was widely expected to sign the Uighur Human Rights Act, which passed Congress almost unanimously amid wide outrage over China’s treatment of the minority.
The bill, which passed the US Congress with only a single ‘no’ vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for the oppression of members of China’s Muslim minority.
“The Act holds accountable perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses such as the systematic use of indoctrination camps, forced labor and intrusive surveillance to eradicate the ethnic identity and religious beliefs of Uyghurs and other minorities in China,” Trump said in a statement.
However, by now holding off on sanctioning China, Trump has taken a massive U turn from his previous promise to do so.
Former national security advisor slams Trump in his book
The Axios interview was conducted on Friday, as the Trump administration battled the fallout from explosive allegations in a book by the president’s former national security advisor John Bolton, who was closely involved in diplomatic matters.
Bolton alleges in his book that Trump told Xi that he approved of the Xinjiang camps, an allegation denied by the American leader.
The former National Security Advisor also claimed that in 2018, Trump asked Xi to ramp up US farm purchases to help him with his re-election bid in 2020.
“No, not at all,” Trump told Axios when asked about the request.
“What I told everybody we deal with — not just President Xi — I want them to do business with this country. I want them to do a lot more business with this country.”
“What’s good for the country is good for me… What’s good for the country is also good for an election.”
Trump added: “But I don’t go around saying, ‘Oh, help me with my election.’ Why would I say that?”
“And remember, when I’m dealing with him, the whole room is loaded up with people… I wouldn’t want to say a thing like that.”
https://www.globalvillagespace.com/...ons-over-uighur-mistreatment-amid-trade-deal/
