*Washington: *
The United States said Tuesday it would curb visas for Chinese officialsuntil Beijing ends its “repression” of Uighurs and other Muslims in thewestern region of Xinjiang, a day after imposing commercial restrictions.
The one-two punch by President Donald Trump’s administration marks the mostforceful attempt by a foreign power to address what some rights groups calla historic crisis in Xinjiang, and comes amid a range of feuds between theUnited States and China.
“China has forcibly detained over one million Muslims in a brutal,systematic campaign to erase religion and culture in Xinjiang,” Secretaryof State Mike Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
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“China must end its draconian surveillance and repression, release allthose arbitrarily detained and cease its coercion of Chinese Muslimsabroad,” he said.
In an accompanying statement, Pompeo said that the State Department wouldrestrict visas granted to government and ruling Communist Party officialsinvolved in “detention or abuse” of Uighurs, Kazakhs or members of otherpredominantly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang. -APP/AFP
