United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued on Monday a statement in which Washington condemned what it described as Beijing's "repressive acts against members of ethnic and religious minority groups and religious and spiritual practitioners inside and outside of China's borders."
"Today’s action imposes visa restrictions on PRC [People's Republic of China] officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, policies or actions aimed at repressing religious and spiritual practitioners, members of ethnic minority groups, dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, labor organizers, civil society organizers, and peaceful protestors in China and beyond," his statement read.
Blinken particularly referred to the members of the Uyghur community. "We call on the PRC government to end its ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, repressive policies in Tibet, crackdown on fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, and human rights violations and abuses, including violations of religious freedom, elsewhere in the country," he added.
