UPSC Articles
U.S legislation for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for oppression of Uighur Muslims
Part of: GS-Prelims and GS-II – International Relations
In News:
- Recently, the USA House of Representatives approved legislation which called for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for oppression of Uighur Muslims.
- The bill has been sent to the President to veto or sign into law.
Key takeaways
- It has been reported that several Chinese officials are responsible for repression of Uighurs and other Muslim groups in China’s Xinjiang province.
- The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps.
- The bill also calls on U.S. companies or individuals operating in the Xinjiang region to take steps to ensure their products do not include parts using forced labor.
- China has, however, maintained denial about mistreatment and has claimed that the camps provide vocational training.
Important value additions
Uighurs Muslims
- They are a predominantly Muslim minority Turkic ethnic group.
- Their origins can be traced to Central and East Asia.
- They are considered to be one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minority communities in China.
- However, China recognises the community only as a regional minority and rejects that they are an indigenous group.
- The largest population of the Uighur ethnic community lives in Xinjiang region of China.
- They also live in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Image Credit- The Economists
