CNA Staff, Jul 13, 2020 / 13:10 pm
The Chinese government announced sanctions Monday against the U. S. ambassador for religious liberty as well as lawmakers who have repeatedly spoken out against the oppression of China's Uyghur population. The country also issued sanctions against the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
The sanctions against Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), were issued in retaliation for sanctions announced by the Trump administration last week against four Chinese officials as well as the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.
Xinjiang is a province in northwestern China. It is home to most of the country's Uyghurs.
The terms of the sanctions on the U.S. diplomat and legislators are not clear. On Monday, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the United States of "interfering in China's international affairs," and defended the situation in Xinjiang as a domestic issue.