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, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed any measures would be "harsh.”
The sanctions, part of a toughening of Washington's stance toward Beijing, are likely to target Communist Party officials responsible for the internment and persecution of minorities in Xinjiang, according to the people. 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 gives 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 U.S. President Donald Trump signed a law last week requiring him to punish officials responsible for oppression of Uighurs and members of other minority groups.