Biden campaign calls China's treatment of Uighur Muslims 'genocide' and pressures Trump to 'take action'
White House has yet to announce any policy moves towards Beijing as president sours on trade deal
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is labelling China’s treatment of the Uighurs “genocide” and calling on Donald Trump to take action.
The Chinese government long has been criticised by human rights groups and many US lawmakers over its treatment of the Uighur Muslims and other minority groups in its Xinjiang region.
“The unspeakable oppression that Uighurs and other ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of China’s authoritarian government is genocide and Joe Biden stands against it in the strongest terms,” Biden campaign spokesman Andrew Bates told Axios.
“If the Trump administration does indeed choose to call this out for what it is, as Joe Biden already did, the pressing question is what will Donald Trump do to take action. He must also apologise for condoning this horrifying treatment of Uighurs,” the spokesman added.
The White House has yet to weigh in.
Mr Trump has been critical of Biejing’s handling of the coronavirus, often calling it the “China virus,” drawing allegations of racism from Democrats.
But during his term, he has been mostly complimentary of China and its president, Xi Jinping, as he sought a trade pact.
He got a mini-deal last year, but has since soured on that agreement.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments