Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act

{{further|Persecution of Uyghurs in China|Xinjiang conflict}}

In 2014 the Chinese government introduced the Strike Hard Campaign Against Violent Terrorism in reaction to several terrorist attacks with responsibility claimed by Uyghur separatist groups and exile groups.{{cite web|date=19 April 2021|title="Break Their Lineage, Break Their Roots"|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/19/break-their-lineage-break-their-roots/chinas-crimes-against-humanity-targeting|access-date=19 April 2021|website=Human Rights Watch|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016123400/https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/19/break-their-lineage-break-their-roots/chinas-crimes-against-humanity-targeting|url-status=live}} Beginning in 2017, under Xinjiang CCP Secretary Chen Quanguo,{{cite magazine |last1=Khatchadourian |first1=Raffi |date=5 April 2021 |title=Surviving the Crackdown in Xinjiang |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/12/surviving-the-crackdown-in-xinjiang |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=16 April 2021 |archive-date=10 April 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210410193233/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/04/12/surviving-the-crackdown-in-xinjiang |url-status=live }} the government incarcerated over an estimated one million Uyghurs without legal process in internment camps officially described as "vocational education and training centers".{{cite journal |last=Finley |first=Joanne |year=2020 |title=Why Scholars and Activists Increasingly Fear a Uyghur Genocide in Xinjiang |journal=Journal of Genocide Research |publication-place=Newcastle University |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=348–370 |doi=10.1080/14623528.2020.1848109 |s2cid=236962241| issn=1462-3528}}{{Cite news|last=Kirby|first=Jen|date=25 September 2020|title=Concentration camps and forced labor: China's repression of the Uighurs, explained|work=Vox|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/7/28/21333345/uighurs-china-internment-camps-forced-labor-xinjiang|quote=It is the largest mass internment of an ethnic-religious minority group since World War II.|access-date=15 January 2021|archive-date=6 December 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20201206013427/https://www.vox.com/2020/7/28/21333345/uighurs-china-internment-camps-forced-labor-xinjiang|url-status=live}} China began to wind down the camps in 2019.{{Cite news |date=23 September 2022 |title=As crackdown eases, China's Xinjiang faces long road to rehabilitation |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/23/china-xinjiang-crackdown-uyghurs-surveillance/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928065216/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/09/23/china-xinjiang-crackdown-uyghurs-surveillance/ |archive-date=28 September 2022 |access-date=6 October 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Kerry |author-link=Kerry Brown (historian) |title=China Incorporated: The Politics of a World Where China is Number One |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-350-26724-4 |location=London}}{{Rp|page=138}} According to Amnesty International, detainees have been increasingly transferred to the formal penal system.{{Cite web |last=Willemyns |first=Alex |date=19 September 2023 |title=Uyghur event in NY goes ahead despite Beijing's warning |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/china-transnational-repression-09192023172318.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231105115459/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/china-transnational-repression-09192023172318.html |archive-date=5 November 2023 |access-date=21 September 2023 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=en}} In addition to mass detention, government policies have included forced labor and factory work,{{cite journal |last1=Turdush |first1=Rukiye |last2=Fiskesjö |first2=Magnus |date=28 May 2021 |title=Dossier: Uyghur Women in China's Genocide |journal=Genocide Studies and Prevention |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=22–43 |doi=10.5038/1911-9933.15.1.1834 |doi-access=free}}{{Cite news |last=Sudworth |first=John |date=December 2020 |title=China's 'tainted' cotton |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/nz0g306v8c/china-tainted-cotton |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210324163805/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/nz0g306v8c/china-tainted-cotton |url-status=live}} suppression of Uyghur religious practices,{{Cite journal |last=Congressional Research Service |date=18 June 2019 |title=Uyghurs in China |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IF10281.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Congressional Research Service |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218075723/https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/IF10281.pdf |archive-date=18 December 2020 |access-date=2 December 2019}} political indoctrination,{{Cite news |title=Muslim minority in China's Xinjiang face 'political indoctrination': Human Rights Watch |work=Reuters |date=9 September 2018 |access-date=18 December 2020 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/muslim-minority-in-chinas-xinjiang-face-political-indoctrination-human-rights-watch-idUSKCN1LQ01F |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109032307/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-rights/muslim-minority-in-chinas-xinjiang-face-political-indoctrination-human-rights-watch-idUSKCN1LQ01F |url-status=live }} forced sterilization,{{cite news |title=China cuts Uighur births with IUDs, abortion, sterilization |publisher=Associated Press |date=28 June 2020 |access-date=18 December 2020 |url=https://apnews.com/article/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c |archive-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216200613/https://apnews.com/article/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c |url-status=live }} forced contraception,{{Cite news |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/east-asia-pacific_china-forces-birth-control-uighurs-suppress-population/6191919.html |title=China Forces Birth Control on Uighurs to Suppress Population |publisher=Voice of America |agency=Associated Press |date=29 June 2020 |access-date=3 April 2021 |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523115445/https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/china-forces-birth-control-uighurs-suppress-population |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Samuel |first=Sigal |date=10 March 2021 |title=China's genocide against the Uyghurs, in 4 disturbing charts |website=Vox |url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22311356/china-uyghur-birthrate-sterilization-genocide |access-date=19 March 2021 |archive-date=10 March 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210310182535/https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22311356/china-uyghur-birthrate-sterilization-genocide |url-status=live}} and forced abortion.{{Cite news |url=https://www.dw.com/en/china-uighur-women-reportedly-sterilized-in-attempt-to-suppress-population/a-54018051 |title=China: Uighur women reportedly sterilized in attempt to suppress population |work=Deutsche Welle |date=1 July 2020 |access-date=14 March 2021 |archive-date=8 January 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210108002713/https://www.dw.com/en/china-uighur-women-reportedly-sterilized-in-attempt-to-suppress-population/a-54018051 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=29 June 2020|title=China 'using birth control' to suppress Uighurs |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53220713 |access-date=7 July 2020 |archive-date=29 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629222610/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53220713|url-status=live}}

File:Congressional Record Volume 165, Issue 145, 2019-09-11.pdf (Vol. 165 pages S5450-S5452)]]

On September 11, 2019, a version of the bill—S. 178, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019—passed in the US Senate by unanimous consent.{{cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-04/uyghur-bill-passes-us-house-of-representatives/11765684 |title=Uyghur bill demanding sanctions on Chinese officials passes US House of Representatives |publisher=ABC News |date=December 4, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204130803/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-04/uyghur-bill-passes-us-house-of-representatives/11765684 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |url-status=live }}

On December 3, 2019, a stronger, amended version of the bill—the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response Act (or UIGHUR Act)—was passed by the US House of Representatives by a vote of 407 to 1.{{cite news |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/courts-china-anger-house-passes-uighur-crackdown-bill-191204011217627.html |title=Anger in China as US House passes Uighur crackdown bill |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=December 3, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204033116/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/courts-china-anger-house-passes-uighur-crackdown-bill-191204011217627.html |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |url-status=live }}[http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll644.xml#N Roll Call Vote No. 644] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204052827/http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll644.xml#N |date=December 4, 2019 }}, Clerk of the United States House of Representative (December 2, 2019). The sole "no" vote was cast by Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky.

On the afternoon of May 14, 2020, a new version of the bill—S. 3744, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020—passed in the US Senate by unanimous consent.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/13/politics/uyghur-bill-senate-china/index.html|title=Senate approves Uyghur human rights bill|date=14 May 2020|access-date=17 May 2020|website=CNN|first=Haley|last=Byrd|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200520215327/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/13/politics/uyghur-bill-senate-china/index.html|archive-date=May 20, 2020|url-status=live}} The US House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 413–1 on May 27, 2020. The following month, on June 17, then-President Donald Trump signed the bill into law.{{Cite news |last=Shih |first=Gerry |title=Trump signs Uighur sanctions bill amid Bolton criticism, drawing fury from China |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world.asia_pacific/trump-signs-uighur-sanctions-bill-amid-bolton-criticism-drawing-fury-from-china/2020/06/18/df27ba4c-b10e-11ea-98b5-279a6479a1e4_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618134455/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world.asia_pacific/trump-signs-uighur-sanctions-bill-amid-bolton-criticism-drawing-fury-from-china/2020/06/18/df27ba4c-b10e-11ea-98b5-279a6479a1e4_story.html |archive-date=June 18, 2020 |access-date=June 18, 2020 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite news |date=June 17, 2020 |title=Trump Signs Bill Pressuring China Over Uighur Muslim Crackdown |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/17/world/asia/17reuters-usa-china-xinjiang.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200619153223/https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/06/17/world/asia/17reuters-usa-china-xinjiang.html |archive-date=2020-06-19 |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-xinjiang-idUSKBN23O3EW|title=Trump signs bill pressuring China over Uighur Muslim crackdown|newspaper=Reuters|date=June 18, 2020|via=www.reuters.com|last1=Zengerle|first1=Patricia|access-date=June 18, 2020|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618170248/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-xinjiang-idUSKBN23O3EW|url-status=live}} The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 extended the act's expiration date from 2025 to 2030.{{Cite news |last=Willemyns |first=Alex |date=December 31, 2024 |title=Uyghur group welcomes key laws passed in US defense bill |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/uyghur/2024/12/31/uyghur-ndaa-legislation-extension/ |access-date=January 1, 2025 |work=Radio Free Asia}}

The bill directs: (1) the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress on security issues caused by the Chinese government's reported crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang; (2) the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on efforts to protect Uyghurs and Chinese nationals in the United States; (3) the US Agency for Global Media to report on Chinese media related issues in Xinjiang; and (4) the United States Department of State to report on the scope of the reported Chinese government crackdown on Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

The President has to submit a report to Congress within 180 days. The report shall designate Chinese officials and any other individuals who are responsible for carrying out: torture; prolonged detention without charges and a trial; abduction; cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of Muslim minority groups; and other flagrant denials of the "right to life, liberty, or the security" of people in Xinjiang. Persons identified in the report would then be subject to sanctions which include asset blocking, visa revocation, and ineligibility for entry into the United States. Imposing sanctions against the officials can be declined by the President if he determines and certifies to Congress that holding back on sanctions is in the national interest of the United States.{{cite web|first=Kevin|last=Liptak|date=June 17, 2020|title=Trump signs Uyghur human rights bill on same day Bolton alleges he told Xi to proceed with detention camps|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/17/politics/trump-uyghur-human-rights-bolton-china/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704150338/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/17/politics/trump-uyghur-human-rights-bolton-china/index.html|archive-date=July 4, 2020|access-date=June 23, 2020|website=CNN}}{{cite web|title=Trump signed a law to punish China for its oppression of the Uighur Muslims. Uighurs say much more needs to be done|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/uighur-china-detention-centers-activists-urge-accountability-2020-2|access-date=30 June 2020|website=Business Insider|archive-date=December 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214213003/https://www.businessinsider.com/uighur-china-detention-centers-activists-urge-accountability-2020-2|url-status=live}}

The bill also calls on the President to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Chen Quanguo, which would be the first time such sanctions would be imposed on a member of China's politburo.{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-xinjiang/house-debates-uighur-bill-demanding-sanctions-on-senior-chinese-officials-idUSKBN1Y72P6 |publisher=Reuters |title=Trump comments, Uighur bill hurt prospects of U.S.-China deal |first1=Se Young |last1=Lee |first2=David |last2=Brunnstrom |date=December 3, 2019 |access-date=December 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204092849/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-xinjiang/house-debates-uighur-bill-demanding-sanctions-on-senior-chinese-officials-idUSKBN1Y72P6 |archive-date=December 4, 2019 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-03/u-s-house-ramps-up-china-tensions-with-uighur-human-rights-bill|title=U.S. House Passes Xinjiang Bill, Prompting Threat From China|last=Flatley|first=Daniel|date=December 4, 2019|work=Bloomberg News|access-date=December 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204124523/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-12-03/u-s-house-ramps-up-china-tensions-with-uighur-human-rights-bill|archive-date=December 4, 2019|url-status=live}} On July 9, 2020, the Trump administration imposed sanctions and visa restrictions against senior Chinese officials, including Quanguo, as well as Zhu Hailun, Wang Mingshan ({{lang|zh-hans|王明山}}), and Huo Liujun ({{lang|zh-hans|霍留军}}). With sanctions, they and their immediate relatives are barred from entering the US and will have US-based assets frozen.{{cite news|date=July 9, 2020|title=US sanctions Chinese officials over Xinjiang 'violations'|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53355697|work=BBC News|access-date=July 10, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710005130/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53355697|url-status=live}}

In December 2021, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was passed.{{Cite web |last=Flacks |first=Marti |last2=Songy |first2=Madeleine |date=June 27, 2022 |title=The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Goes into Effect |url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act-goes-effect |publisher=Center for Strategic and International Studies}} The act discussed the US' responsibility (as well as Mexico's and Canada's) in preventing forced labor and human trafficking for labor. The act imposes sanctions and some prohibitions on listed companies in the region in line with Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930.United States, Congress, An Act to Ensure That Goods Made With Forced Labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China Do Not Enter the United States Market, and for Other Purposes. An Act to Ensure That Goods Made with Forced Labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China Do Not Enter the United States Market, and for Other Purposes, U.S. Government Publishing Office, 2021, pp. 1–8. 2021 Congress, 117th session, bill [H.R. 6256]. On November 25, 2024, the largest expansion of the list of companies not complying with the act was passes by the US Department of Homeland Security.{{Cite web |last=Amirfar |first=Catherine |last2=Borut |first2=Ezra |last3=Kini |first3=Satish |last4=Levine |first4=Andrew |date=December 10, 2024 |title=Debevoise National Security Update: Increased UFLPA Enforcement |url=https://www.debevoise.com/insights/publications/2024/12/debevoise-national-security-update-increased-uflpa}} In April 2024 a new act was introduced to Congress titled Uyghur Genocide Accountability and Sanctions Act of 2024. This act proposes new, more severe, amendments to the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020.{{Cite web |last=Gerin |first=Roseanne |date=April 29, 2024 |title=US Congressional Uyghur Caucus Introduces New Sanctions Bill |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/sanctions-act-04292024172922.html}}

On the same day that then-President Trump signed the Act into law, former National Security Advisor John Bolton claimed that Trump had, on two occasions, told Chinese leader Xi Jinping to go forward with plans related to Uyghur internment.{{cite web|first=Philip|last=Ewing|date=17 June 2020|title=Trump Told China To 'Go Ahead' With Prison Camps, Bolton Alleges In New Book|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/06/17/875876905/trump-told-china-to-go-ahead-with-concentration-camps-bolton-alleges-in-new-book|access-date=10 July 2020|website=National Public Radio|archive-date=July 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200709140650/https://www.npr.org/2020/06/17/875876905/trump-told-china-to-go-ahead-with-concentration-camps-bolton-alleges-in-new-book|url-status=live}}

Editorials in The New York Times and The Washington Post supported the passage of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.{{Cite news |date=2019-03-17 |title=China’s Brutal ‘Boarding Schools’ |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/opinion/china-uighurs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20231107222029/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/17/opinion/china-uighurs.html |archive-date=2023-11-07 |access-date=2025-01-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US}}{{cite news |date=May 23, 2019 |title=What Congress can do now to combat China's mass ethnic cleansing of Uighurs |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/what-congress-can-do-now-to-combat-chinas-mass-ethnic-cleansing-of-uighurs/2019/05/23/fe906c68-7d6a-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031202925/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/what-congress-can-do-now-to-combat-chinas-mass-ethnic-cleansing-of-uighurs/2019/05/23/fe906c68-7d6a-11e9-a5b3-34f3edf1351e_story.html |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |quote=Meanwhile, bipartisan legislation aimed at holding the Chinese accountable, sponsored by Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), has cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and is in committee in the House. Hopefully it will pass both chambers soon.}} Opinion pieces written in various publications also supported the passage of the Act.Sources include:

• {{cite news |last1=Lake |first1=Eli |date=July 16, 2019 |title=China's Campaign Against the Uighurs Demands a Response |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-07-16/china-s-cultural-persecution-of-the-uighurs-demands-a-response |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913023103/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-07-16/china-s-cultural-persecution-of-the-uighurs-demands-a-response |archive-date=September 13, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Bloomberg News}}
• {{cite news |date=September 27, 2019 |title=Congress must take action on Chinese human rights abuses |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/international/463353-congress-must-take-action-on-chinese-human-rights-abuses |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122844/https://thehill.com/opinion/international/463353-congress-must-take-action-on-chinese-human-rights-abuses |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=The Hill}}
• {{cite news |last1=Bosco |first1=Joseph |date=December 11, 2019 |title=Congress should finish what it started and help the Uighurs |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/473780-congress-should-finish-what-it-started-and-help-the-uighurs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122842/https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/473780-congress-should-finish-what-it-started-and-help-the-uighurs |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=The Hill}}
• {{cite news |date=December 13, 2019 |title=China Is Operating Mass Detention Centers in Xinjiang. How Should the U.S. Respond? |url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/how-us-can-lead-xinjiang |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122842/https://www.lawfareblog.com/how-us-can-lead-xinjiang |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Lawfare |quote=But what can the U.S. do? The U.S. will struggle to hold Chinese Communist Party officials accountable through international institutions...domestic options are more promising. Congress is poised to pass the Uighur Intervention and Global Humanitarian Unified Response (UIGHUR) Act of 2019, which calls upon the President to sanction Chinese officials, prohibits selling certain goods to China that it could use to suppress human rights, and mandates that the State Department report to Congress on conditions in Xinjiang.}}
• {{cite news |last1=VIGNARAJAH |first1=KRISH O'MARA |date=May 10, 2019 |title=Uyghurs are being persecuted in China — US must protect them |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/international/443212-uyghurs-are-being-persecuted-in-china-us-must-protect-them |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922235941/https://thehill.com/opinion/international/443212-uyghurs-are-being-persecuted-in-china-us-must-protect-them |archive-date=September 22, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=The Hill}}
• {{cite news |last1=Kanat |first1=Omer |date=November 23, 2019 |title=NYT Exposé Should Be the Tipping Point on China's Abuse of Uyghurs |url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/nyt-expose-should-be-the-tipping-point-on-chinas-abuse-of-uyghurs/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220160213/https://thediplomat.com/2019/11/nyt-expose-should-be-the-tipping-point-on-chinas-abuse-of-uyghurs/ |archive-date=December 20, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=The Diplomat |publisher= |quote=In Congress, the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act (S.178 and H.R.649) has been teetering for almost one year. It is time to pass the measure. Other countries should follow this model of accountability and not China's turn toward totalitarianism.}}
• {{cite news |date=Apr 30, 2019 |title=Sigal Samuel answers 8 key questions about the Chinese crackdown on Uighur Muslims |url=https://www.vox.com/2019/4/30/18523056/china-uighur-muslims-sigal-samuel-ama |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030074745/https://www.vox.com/2019/4/30/18523056/china-uighur-muslims-sigal-samuel-ama |archive-date=October 30, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Vox |quote=Here in the US, folks can call or write to their representatives to let them know this is a humanitarian crisis they care about and want to see political action on. They can show support for the Xinjiang Uyghur Human Rights Act, a bipartisan bill that recommends considering several responses to China's crackdown, including imposing sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the camps.}}
• {{cite news |date=November 28, 2018 |title=China Is Violating Uighurs' Human Rights. The United States Must Act. |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/28/china-is-violating-uighurs-human-rights-the-united-states-must-act/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619001801/https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/11/28/china-is-violating-uighurs-human-rights-the-united-states-must-act/ |archive-date=June 19, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=Foreign Policy |publisher=}}
• {{cite news |date=July 12, 2019 |title=Congress Aims to Address China's Atrocities against Religious Minorities |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/uyghur-human-rights-policy-act-china-atrocities/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013200513/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/07/uyghur-human-rights-policy-act-china-atrocities/ |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=National Review}}

The CCP claim of deradicalization drew criticism in an article by the Deccan Chronicle,{{cite news |date=December 18, 2019 |title='De-radicalising' Uighur Muslims: Is the Chinese action justified? |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/181219/de-radicalising-uighur-muslims-is-the-chinese-action-justified.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122841/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/opinion/columnists/181219/de-radicalising-uighur-muslims-is-the-chinese-action-justified.html |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=Deccan Chronicle |publisher= |quote=Calling the US action a political move aimed at damaging its international image, China says it is running a deradicalisation programme to mainstream its communities. The Chinese claim has not been verified by independent sources and mystery shrouds its deradicalisation or re-education programme. China needs to demonstrate to the international community that it has inserted human rights safeguards in its deradicalisation measures ... It is interesting that at a time when exclusionism, supremacism, and hyper-nationalism tendencies are globally on the rise, China has decided to launch its own version of 'harmonising' society. This thinking might appear to negate the global trends but in essence, its objectives are similar, and it has little space for accepting diversity. |agency=Dawn}} while an article written by Srikanth Kondapalli made criticisms of the PRC's grand strategy for Xinjiang.{{cite news |last1=Kondapalli |first1=Srikanth |date=Dec 8, 2019 |title='No Mercy' for the Uighurs |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/no-mercy-for-the-uighurs-783643.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228073100/https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/no-mercy-for-the-uighurs-783643.html |archive-date=December 28, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |work=Deccan Herald |publisher=}} Analysts cited in an article by Reuters said that mainland China's response to passage of the Uyghur bill could be stronger than its reaction to the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, while the BBC's China correspondent said that if the bill became law, then it would mark the most significant international attempt to pressure mainland China over its mass detention of the Uyghurs.{{cite news |date=4 December 2019 |title=China sanctions: US House passes bill over treatment of Uighurs |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50653864 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209143221/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50653864 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=BBC News}}

On December 3, 2019, a World Uyghur Congress spokesman said that the House bill is important in opposing "China's continued push of extreme persecution," and that the organization looks forward to Trump signing the bill. Various Uyghur activists, think tank analysts, and political representatives called on various governments to sanction mainland Chinese officials for their perceived involvement in the Xinjiang conflict.Sources include

• {{cite news|last1=Clarke|first1=Michael|date=24 Jul 2018|title=Patriotic songs and self-criticism: why China is 're-educating' Muslims in mass detention camps|publisher=ABC AU|agency=ABC AU|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-25/china-uighur-ethnic-cleansing-xi-jinping-chinese-muslims/10033472|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119135211/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-25/china-uighur-ethnic-cleansing-xi-jinping-chinese-muslims/10033472|archive-date=November 19, 2019|quote=To begin with, Australia should simply call out Beijing's actions in Xinjiang for what they are — systematic violations of the human rights of the Uighur people — much as US Congressional leaders and some members of the European Union have done.}}
• {{cite news|last1=Yar|first1=Irfan|date=March 22, 2019|title=CANADA SHOULD USE THE MAGNITSKY ACT TO TARGET CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS: IRFAN YAR IN THE EPOCH TIMES|publisher=MLI|agency=MLI|url=https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/canada-should-use-the-magnitsky-act-to-target-chinas-human-rights-violators-irfan-yar-in-the-epoch-times/|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122842/https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/canada-should-use-the-magnitsky-act-to-target-chinas-human-rights-violators-irfan-yar-in-the-epoch-times/|archive-date=December 19, 2019|quote=In the face of such an unrelenting repressive campaign, the government should consider applying such targeted sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the detention of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. U.S. lawmakers are currently exploring the possibility of applying such measures in the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act.}}
• {{cite news|date=November 28, 2019|title=The Equivalent of Cultural Genocide|publisher=Der Spiegel|agency=Der Spiegel|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/chinese-oppression-of-the-uighurs-like-cultural-genocide-a-1298171.html|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121105242/https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/chinese-oppression-of-the-uighurs-like-cultural-genocide-a-1298171.html|archive-date=January 21, 2020|quote=DER SPIEGEL: A group of Senators and Representatives is pushing for the White House to slap entry bans on those responsible for the Xinjiang policy and to freeze their assets in the U.S., if they have any. Do you believe Germany and Europe should do the same? [Adrian] Zenz: Yes, I do. Not because of the financial or economic consequences of such measures, but because of the political message it would send: What is happening to the Uighurs is a crime against humanity. China's government would, of course, react strongly to such measures, just as they have struck back against the results of my research. But they would understand the message. For as long as our efforts to defend our values cost us nothing, they mean nothing to China's government. China is a culture in which talk is cheap.}}
• {{cite news|title=Chinese ambassador warns Canada against adopting motion calling for sanctions|publisher=Canadian Press|agency=CBC|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-cong-sanctions-1.5386020|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220231236/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/china-cong-sanctions-1.5386020|archive-date=December 20, 2019}}
• {{cite news|date=5 December 2019|title=Why is Germany silent on China's human rights abuses?|publisher=DW|agency=DW|url=https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-germany-silent-on-chinas-human-rights-abuses/a-51545962|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206180936/https://www.dw.com/en/why-is-germany-silent-on-chinas-human-rights-abuses/a-51545962|archive-date=December 6, 2019}}
• {{cite news|date=5 Dec 2018|title=Uighur: Australia needs to end "business as usual" with China|publisher=Lowy Institute|agency=The Interpreter|url=https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/uighur-australia-end-business-usual-china|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122842/https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/uighur-australia-end-business-usual-china|archive-date=December 19, 2019}}
• {{cite news|date=15 December 2019|title=China's inexcusable internment of Uighur Muslims|publisher=IANS|agency=The Siasat Daily|url=https://www.siasat.com/chinas-inexcusable-internment-uighur-muslims-1763158/|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219122842/https://www.siasat.com/chinas-inexcusable-internment-uighur-muslims-1763158/|archive-date=December 19, 2019}} Nury Turkel, former President of the Uyghur American Association, thanked Trump for signing the Act and urged Congress to pass a second Uyghur-related bill, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act which passed in 2021.{{cite web|date=18 June 2020|title=China Warns of 'Countermeasures' After Trump OKs Bill to 'Punish' Country Over Ethnic Crackdown|url=https://www.news18.com/news/world/trump-signs-bill-to-punish-china-for-crackdown-on-uighurs-other-muslim-ethnic-minorities-2674923.html|access-date=20 July 2020|website=News18}}{{cite magazine|title=The U.S. Must Use the New Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act to Sanction Chinese Officials for Religious Persecution|url=https://time.com/5847184/uyghur-human-rights-policy-act-china/|access-date=8 June 2020|magazine=Time|archive-date=August 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804230436/https://time.com/5847184/uyghur-human-rights-policy-act-china/|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|first=Nury|last=Turkel|first2=James W.|last2=Carr|author2-link=James W. Carr|date=26 August 2020|title=Was Your Face Mask Made Using Forced Labor in China?|url=https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/was-your-face-mask-made-using-forced-labor-in-china/|access-date=28 August 2020|magazine=The Diplomat|archive-date=August 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828133519/https://thediplomat.com/2020/08/was-your-face-mask-made-using-forced-labor-in-china/|url-status=live}}

The Chinese government have called the bill a malicious attack on China and demanded that the United States prevent it from becoming law, warning that it would act to defend its interests as necessary. On December 4, 2019, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the bill "wantonly smeared China's counter-terrorism and de-radicalization efforts." Four days later, Ëziz Eli ({{lang|zh-hans|艾则孜·艾力}})—County Magistrate of Niya County and Vice Secretary of the Niya County County Communist Party Committee—and Perhat Roza ({{lang|zh-hans|帕尔哈提·肉孜}})—Vice Secretary and Commissioner of the Kashgar Prefecture Communist Party Committee—penned criticisms of the Act.{{cite web|url=http://www.xj.xinhuanet.com/2019-12/08/c_1125321442.htm|script-title=zh:坚决不允许美国蓄意诋毁和抹黑新疆的人权状况|date=8 December 2019|access-date=8 December 2019|language=zh-hans|author=艾则孜·艾力|editor=李梦婷|agency=Xinhua News Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191208113425/http://www.xj.xinhuanet.com/2019-12/08/c_1125321442.htm|archive-date=December 8, 2019}}{{cite web|url=http://www.yjs.gov.cn/szyw/xwdt/bdyw/content_1858|script-title=zh:新疆维吾尔人权状况不容诋毁|language=zh-hans|date=8 December 2019|access-date=4 March 2020|author=帕尔哈提·肉孜 |script-website=zh:英吉沙县人民政府门户网站 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200303222149/http://www.yjs.gov.cn/szyw/xwdt/bdyw/content_1858|archive-date=March 3, 2020|url-status=live}} State media commentator and then-editor-in-chief of the CCP-owned tabloid Global Times, Hu Xilin, incorporated the bill's passage into his nationalist rhetoric and criticized it as another example of an anti-China legislation.{{Cite book |last=Mao |first=Lin |title=China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment |publisher=Leiden University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9789087284411 |editor-last=Fang |editor-first=Qiang |chapter=From Trade War to New Cold War: Popular Nationalism and the Global Times on Weibo under Xi Jinping |editor-last2=Li |editor-first2=Xiaobing}}{{Rp|page=|pages=327–328}}

In December 2019, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates defended China's actions in Xinjiang and condemned the bill as a "blatant interference by the US in the internal affairs of the People's Republic of China."{{Cite news|url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191206-syria-defends-chinas-uyghur-policy-after-us-condemnation/|title=Syria defends China's Uyghur policy after US condemnation|date=6 December 2019|work=Middle East Monitor|access-date=22 December 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422011041/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191206-syria-defends-chinas-uyghur-policy-after-us-condemnation/|archive-date=April 22, 2020}}

• United States foreign policy toward the People's Republic of China
• United States sanctions against China
• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/649/text House of Representatives bill text]
• [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/178/text S. 178 Senate bill text]
• [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3744/text S. 3744 Senate bill text]

{{Human rights}}

{{United States Foreign Policy}}

Category:United States foreign relations legislation

Category:China–United States relations

Category:Human rights legislation

Category:Acts of the 116th United States Congress

Category:Uyghurs

Category:Sanctions legislation

Category:United States sanctions

Category:Sanctions against China

Category:Religious policy in China