The U.S. is preparing to roll out long-delayed Magnitsky sanctions to punish senior Chinese officials responsible for genocide against the Uighur minority in Xinjiang

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U.S. Readies Sanctions on China Over Rights Abuses in Xinjiang

The U.S. is preparing to roll out long-delayed sanctions to punish senior Chinese officials over human-rights abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang, two people familiar with the matter said, part of a toughening of the Trump administration’s stance toward Beijing.

The sanctions are likely to target Communist Party officials responsible for the internment and persecution of minorities in Xinjiang, according to the people, though they declined to say who specifically would be cited or when the sanctions would be rolled out.

The administration is acting under the 2016 Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which give the U.S. broad authority to impose human-rights sanctions on foreign officials. The sanctions were delayed amid negotiations over a U.S.-China trade deal, but President Donald Trump signed a law last month requiring him to punish officials responsible for oppression of Uighurs and members of other minority groups.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment. A Treasury Department spokesperson said the Office of Foreign Assets Control doesn’t comment on possible or pending investigations, including to confirm whether or not one exists.

The two people cautioned that Trump would still need to give final sign-off for any sanctions to go ahead. In the past, he has delayed or frozen sanctions for fear they would jeopardize trade talks or sour his relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin or North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un.

More: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-01/u-s-readies-global-sanctions-on-china-over-xinjiang-abuses