China, Myanmar named in US genocide report

UCA News

UCA News reporter
Published: July 14, 2021

Report highlights China's treatment of Uyghurs and Myanmar military's ethnic cleansing and post-coup atrocities

Protesters gather outside the Belgian parliament in Brussels on July 8 as MPs vote on a resolution to recognize China's policies towards Uyghurs as genocide. (Photo: AFP)

China, which has been accused of ill treatment of its Uyghur minority, and its neighbor and ally Myanmar, which faces allegations of ethnic cleansing, have been named in a new US genocide report.

The State Department’s annual report to Congress on countries where there is risk of atrocities being committed named China and Myanmar along with Eritrea, Syria and South Sudan.

“This year, for the first time, the report provides direct, detailed accounts of atrocities taking place in specific countries, including Burma [Myanmar], Ethiopia, China and Syria,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press briefing on July 12.

“These places represent some of the toughest foreign policy challenges on our agenda, and we’ll keep working toward resolutions that reflect our commitment to human rights and democratic values.”

Washington’s renewed accusations of genocide in China came after Blinken claimed in January that the People’s Republic was committing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang province.

The crimes against humanity include imprisonment, torture, enforced sterilization and persecution, according to the report.

"The report also named Myanmar, which is accused of committing atrocities and genocide following the military coup"

According to the Congressional Research Service, China has also been accused of using so-called re-education camps to forcibly assimilate Muslim citizens at the expense of their culture and identity since at least 2017.

On July 13, the US also expanded its warning about doing business in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by citing forced labor and genocide against the Uyghur minority.

Beijing has dismissed the report as an “outrageous and preposterous lie” as it has revealed the true face of the US government to the Chinese people.

“No matter how some in the US go to great lengths along its misguided course to hype up lies on Xinjiang, their political conspiracy to disrupt Xinjiang and contain China will only end in failure,” a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said on July 13.

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