Tue January, 2021, Age: 3 years
In one of its final acts, the Trump administration has deemed that China has committed “genocide and crimes against humanity” through its repression of the ethnic minority Uighur Muslim population in the Xinjiang region of China. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “I believe this genocide is ongoing, and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uighurs by the Chinese party-state.” The label of genocide does not carry with it any specific remedy or legal repercussions, though it will provide companies and state actors with greater cause to examine their relationship with the Chinese in Xinjiang. The determination was preceded by the passage of legislation in Congress on Dec. 27th, 2020 that required the U.S. administration to determine whether China had committed crimes against humanity or a genocide. The incoming Biden administration appears to be in accord with the finding. Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that he agreed with the decision.
