China Rebukes House Bill Condemning Crackdown On Uighurs

Merrit Kennedy
December 4, 20193:00 PM ET

Chinese officials have expressed outrage after the House passed a bill late Tuesday condemning Beijing’s crackdown on China’s Muslim Uighur minority.

The bipartisan bill, which passed the House in a 407-1 vote, condemns “gross human rights violations” against the Uighurs and calls for “an end to arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of these communities inside and outside China.”

Beijing has long vociferously objected to any perceived interference in its internal affairs, particularly in sensitive regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang, a restive region in China’s west where the vast majority of the Uighurs live.

“The U.S. attempts to sow discord among various ethnic groups in China … and contain China’s growth,” Hua Chunying, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, said in a statement. “But its attempt will never succeed.”

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