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.
