KYODO NEWS - Dec 4, 2019 - 19:19 | All, World

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill urging the government to address China's treatment of its Muslim Uyghur minority by imposing sanctions on Chinese officials involved in alleged human rights abuses.

The bill, passed 407 votes to 1, will be sent to the Senate and then to the desk of President Donald Trump, who will either sign it into law or veto it.

It is potentially another diplomatic flashpoint between the United States and China, which have already seen ties strained over Washington's position on Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests and a long-running trade war.

(People gather to protest against China's Uyghur policy in Brussels, Belgium on October 1, 2019.)[Anadolu Agency/Getty/Kyodo]

China quickly expressed firm opposition to the passing of the bill, decrying it as interference in its internal affairs.

The latest development came as the United States has been increasing pressure on China over its treatment of the Uyghurs and other minorities in the far-western Xinjiang autonomous region.

The United States has expressed particular concern over the alleged mass internment of the Muslim population, with Chinese authorities claiming it is necessary to combat terrorism and religious extremism.

A U.S. State Department official said last year that at least 800,000 Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in internment camps, which China call vocational training centers.

In the camps, they are reportedly forced to renounce Islam and embrace the Chinese Communist Party, while suffering conditions considered inhumane.

The Uyghur human rights bill urges Trump to call on Chinese authorities to immediately close the camps. It also calls on the administration to consider sanctioning Chinese government officials, including the Chinese Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang.

In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry, along with six other government institutions, issued a statement strongly opposing the passage of the bill.

The bill "deliberately smears the human rights condition in Xinjiang" and runs counter to the positive opinion of the international community, the ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.

Reiterating that Xinjiang-related issues are China's internal affairs, Hua demanded that the United States "correct its mistakes at once" and prevent the bill from becoming law.

"China will take further reactions according to how the situation develops," she said.

At Wednesday's regular press briefing, Hua did not say what countermeasures are being considered, telling reporters to stay patient as those who undermine China's interests will get what they deserve.

(Xinjiang autonomous region)

In regards to the bill's influence on ongoing trade negotiations, she said, "It will inevitably affect U.S.-China cooperation in important areas."

China's National Ethnic Affairs Commission condemned the bill, saying it was full of prejudice against China and "ignored the real feelings of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including the Uyghurs."

"We will not cause trouble, but we will never be afraid of it," the commission said in a statement.

Last week, a U.S. bill intended to show support to Hong Kong's pro-democracy protesters was enacted, angering China which considers the move interference in its internal affairs.

Trump appears to have been treading carefully when signing the Hong Kong human rights bill, however, apparently fearing that it could derail efforts to finalize a partial trade deal being negotiated between Washington and Beijing.

"I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi (Jinping), China, and the people of Hong Kong," Trump said in a statement on Wednesday.

"They are being enacted in the hope that leaders and representatives of China and Hong Kong will be able to amicably settle their differences leading to long term peace and prosperity for all."

However, even if Trump had vetoed it, Congress would have been able to override his decision with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.

China retaliated to the enactment on Monday by deciding to impose sanctions on a handful of U.S. nongovernmental organizations accused of fueling the months-long protests, but has yet to disclose what those sanctions consist of.

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