Trump signs bill pressuring China over Uighur Muslim crackdown

[webfact]

Trump signs bill pressuring China over Uighur Muslim crackdown

By Patricia Zengerle

 

FILE PHOTO: Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China September 4, 2018. This centre, situated between regional capital Urumqi and tourist spot Turpan, is among the largest known ones, and was still undergoing extensive construction and expansion at the time the photo was taken. Picture taken September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump signed legislation on Wednesday calling for sanctions over the repression of China's Uighur Muslims, as excerpts from a book by former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton alleged that Trump encouraged China's president to continue with detention camps for the minority group.

 

The bill, which Congress passed with only one "no" vote, was intended to send China a strong message on human rights by mandating sanctions against those responsible for oppression of members of China's Muslim minority.

 

The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in the Xinjiang region. The U.S. State Department has accused Chinese officials of subjecting Muslims to torture, abuse "and trying to basically erase their culture and their religion."

 

China denies mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training.

 

Trump signed the bill as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held his first face-to-face meeting since last year with China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi.

Trump issued a signing statement that some of the bill's requirements might limit his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy so he would regard them as advisory, not mandatory.

 

Trump did not hold a ceremony to mark his signing, which came as newspapers published excerpts the new book by his former national security adviser, Bolton.

 

Among other allegations, the book says Trump sought Chinese President Xi Jinping's help to win re-election during a closed-door 2019 meeting and that Trump said Xi should go ahead with building the camps in Xinjiang.

 

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 

The Uighur law for the first time calls for sanctions on a member of China's powerful Politburo, Xinjiang's Communist Party secretary, Chen Quanguo, as responsible for "gross human rights violations."

 

It also calls on U.S. companies operating in Xinjiang to take steps to ensure they do not use parts made with forced labor.

 

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, additional reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Sandra Maler and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-06-18

 

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[pegman]

When  it comes to Trump's White House the craziness never seems to stop.

[franzs]

This moron should clear first the problems in his own country before he points his finger in other directions

[Chomper Higgot]

And yet Bolton tells us Trump praised and encouraged Xi in China’s use of internment camps.

 

 

[englishoak]

37 minutes ago, franzs said:

This moron should clear first the problems in his own country before he points his finger in other directions

 

Yea lets totally ignore Chinas ongoing genocide.. cos Trump... 

[simple1]

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

And yet Bolton tells us Trump praised and encouraged Xi in China’s use of internment camps.

 

 

Timing of the Bills' signing is of course no co-incidence at all - LOL

[yuyiinthesky]

Very good, these Atrocities by the CCP happening in China Must be stopped.

 

I’m happy to see that the current Chaos in the US did not stopp this bill from getting passed. 

The USA must take up its responsibilities again, and one of them is to point the finger to such atrocities such as the CCP concentration camps for millions of Uighurs. 

[Tug]

12 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Timing of the Bills' signing is of course no co-incidence at all - LOL

Ditto!

[yuyiinthesky]

If you need more information on these atrocities committed by the CCP and the bullying of the CCP to keep the world silent, just google for it. Here are some random links:

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/12/03/uighurs-xinjiang-china-cultural-genocide-international-criminal-court/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/05/09/uighur-chinese-human-rights-violations-concentration-camps-column/1143252001/

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/world/asia/china-xinjiang-muslim-camps.html

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/11/17/uighurs-their-supporters-decry-chinese-concentration-camps-genocide-after-xinjiang-documents-leaked/

It doesn’t matter what you think about Trump, or the USA, or muslims - the torture and atrocities perpetrated by the CCP against the Uighurs are inhumane and we cannot simply look away for fear of the power of the CCP. 
The next ones in such concentration camps will otherwise be the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

[Eric Loh]

14 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Timing of the Bills' signing is of course no co-incidence at all - LOL

Those China hawks within the GOP must be mighty uncomfortable knowing that Trump supported the Uighurs detention camp. Their moral high ground over China's treatment of the Uighers seem undermined even with his 'damage control' bill.  

[yuyiinthesky]

4 hours ago, franzs said:

This moron should clear first the problems in his own country before he points his finger in other directions

So you think we should be quiet about such atrocities, let the CCP continue its genocide, its concentration camps, looking away?

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/a-spreadsheet-of-those-in-hell-how-china-corralled-uighurs-into-concentration-camps/2020/02/28/4daeca4a-58c8-11ea-ab68-101ecfec2532_story.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063

 

Hitler and the Nazies were clumsy rookies with their holocaust compared to the organized tortures in the CCP concentration camps.

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by yuyiinthesky

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

39 minutes ago, simple1 said:

Timing of the Bills' signing is of course no co-incidence at all - LOL

 

Yep, but the thing to watch for down the line is Trump's signing message as referenced in the OP article, where he says yes I'm signing the bill, but I'm going to treat some of its provisions as advisory, not mandatory.

 

This is Trump's recurring way of basically ignoring congressionally mandated legislative provisions that he doesn't like or agree with. (How such presidential actions ignoring Congress are deemed legal I still don't understand...)  Trump's not the first president to use that interpretation of executive authority, but he's been using it on a recurring basis.

 

So yes he signs the bill amid the furor over Bolton's book and its disclosures about Trump backing the Muslim internment camps in China AND seeking China's help specifically to help him win re-election.... But let's see what if any of the law's sanctions are ever actually imposed by the feds.

 

[johnpetersen]

Mideast Muslims bad but Chinese Muslims good?

[Traubert]

Genocide?

 

Name numbers.

[Traubert]

7 minutes ago, johnpetersen said:

Mideast Muslims bad but Chinese Muslims good?

Obviously.

[car720]

Do you know how to tell when a politician is lying?  His lips are moving.

[JCauto]

1 hour ago, yuyiinthesky said:

So you think we should be quiet about such atrocities, let the CCP continue its genocide, its concentration camps, looking away?

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/a-spreadsheet-of-those-in-hell-how-china-corralled-uighurs-into-concentration-camps/2020/02/28/4daeca4a-58c8-11ea-ab68-101ecfec2532_story.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063

 

Hitler and the Nazies were clumsy rookies with their holocaust compared to the organized tortures in the CCP concentration camps.

 

You appear to misunderstand the discussion - nobody is saying that we should be quiet about such atrocities or that they should continue. 

 

We are pointing out that, according to the book by John Bolton who was the National Security Advisor at the time, Trump gave President Xi of China carte blanche to open the concentration camps and even said to them that "it was a good idea". It's hard to take the resolution seriously when the timing is so...remarkably coincidental to be released the same day as Bolton's book allegations.

As to your last sentence, there has been no evidence published that I'm aware of that places the camps anywhere near the category of the Nazi Concentration Camps which as you may know included gas chambers and crematoriums for the victims among other features. You need to get some perspective and understand that you weaken the force of your argument by being too hyperbolic. It just makes your points easier to dismiss.

[DoctorG]

Funny how when Bolton was security advisor the Left would deride him constantly, but now, because he writes stuff about Trump you are all eager to believe him.

Personally, I have always thought he was just a warmongering fool, but, hey, what would I know?

[Eric Loh]

9 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Funny how when Bolton was security advisor the Left would deride him constantly, but now, because he writes stuff about Trump you are all eager to believe him.

Personally, I have always thought he was just a warmongering fool, but, hey, what would I know?

Not at all funny. He is still derided for his hawkish foreign policies including regime changes, termination of the Iran nuclear deal and his support for invading Iraq. Many still despise him but will read his book anyway. His memoir exposures of Trump's wrongdoings are up to the public to judge. Trump's vigorous attempt to block his book will make Bolton's book more believable and credible. 

[micmichd]

4 hours ago, yuyiinthesky said:

So you think we should be quiet about such atrocities, let the CCP continue its genocide, its concentration camps, looking away?

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/a-spreadsheet-of-those-in-hell-how-china-corralled-uighurs-into-concentration-camps/2020/02/28/4daeca4a-58c8-11ea-ab68-101ecfec2532_story.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063

 

Hitler and the Nazies were clumsy rookies with their holocaust compared to the organized tortures in the CCP concentration camps.

 

You don't know much about Hitler and the Nazis, do you? 

[TPI]

9 hours ago, pegman said:

When  it comes to Trump's White House the craziness never seems to stop.

Why on earth would trump encourage China to imprison a minority Muslim group? John Bolton is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's not stupid, look how many books he will sell now!!

[Eric Loh]

19 minutes ago, TPI said:

Why on earth would trump encourage China to imprison a minority Muslim group? John Bolton is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's not stupid, look how many books he will sell now!!

3 words - quid pro quo

[Rimmer]

A flame has been removed

[Upstate]

3 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Funny how when Bolton was security advisor the Left would deride him constantly, but now, because he writes stuff about Trump you are all eager to believe him.

Personally, I have always thought he was just a warmongering fool, but, hey, what would I know?

Hypocrytes doesn`t even begin to describe them.

[tonbridgebrit]

The hypocrisy is absurd. So, it's okay for Trump to hate Muslims, it's okay for Americans to NOT want more mosques in America. But all of a sudden, China are trying to control their Muslims, and that's called 'human rights abuse'.

What next ? How about the Trump government support "Muslim Lives Matter".  Yes, MLM, Muslim Lives Matter, and they matter all over the world.

[joecoolfrog]

4 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Funny how when Bolton was security advisor the Left would deride him constantly, but now, because he writes stuff about Trump you are all eager to believe him.

Personally, I have always thought he was just a warmongering fool, but, hey, what would I know?

It must be lovely to live in a monochrome world , do you seriously believe that any person is 100% good or bad , right or wrong ?

Bolton is a warmonger , for which he is rightly criticised, however he is not renowned for lying , Trump on the other hand certainly is.

Edited June 18, 2020 by joecoolfrog

[joecoolfrog]

59 minutes ago, Upstate said:

Hypocrytes doesn`t even begin to describe them.

Or indeed you .

[Sujo]

6 hours ago, johnpetersen said:

Mideast Muslims bad but Chinese Muslims good?

well to be honest yes mideast muslims are bad. Especially the salafist types. There are different muslims sects. Some are bad, some are not.

[joecoolfrog]

1 hour ago, TPI said:

Why on earth would trump encourage China to imprison a minority Muslim group? John Bolton is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he's not stupid, look how many books he will sell now!!

Trump was sucking up because he wanted a favour , which he didn't get !

Consequently the chinese leadership has gone from great to bad , usual Trump schoolboy antics.

[Sujo]

5 hours ago, DoctorG said:

Funny how when Bolton was security advisor the Left would deride him constantly, but now, because he writes stuff about Trump you are all eager to believe him.

Personally, I have always thought he was just a warmongering fool, but, hey, what would I know?

bolton is indeed an idiot hawk.

Now, as for believing him, trump is suing him because of executive privilege. So for that to happen trump admits what bolton says is true.

 

If its not true trump cannot claim executive privilege.