U.S. targets Chinese high-tech firms . . .
The Trump administration said Monday that it has added 28 Chinese organizations to a blacklist in response to alleged human rights violations against predominantly Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang Province. The list includes both government agencies and technology companies like Hikvision, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of surveillance technology, as well as others specializing in AI, surveillance, and the development of machine vision and voice-recognition tools. These firms now face major disruption, as they are at least partially reliant on U.S.-based know-how.
Followed by Chinese officials . . .
Just one day later, on Tuesday, Washington announced a visa ban on individuals who are implicated in human rights violations in Xinjiang. Although no specific individuals were named, the U.S. government had previously mentioned Chen Quanguo as one such target. Chen is the Communist Party chief for Xinjiang and has a reputation for handling minority groups harshly, especially Muslim Uighurs. During the announcement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged China to halt its policies in Xinjiang, stating that “the protection of human rights is of fundamental importance.” Pompeo’s statements cap increasingly vocal denunciations from the U.S. over China’s alleged lack of respect for religious rights.
China returns the favour . . .
In response, China’s Ministry of Public Security announced that it is working on rules to limit the ability of anyone employed by U.S. intelligence services and human rights groups to travel to China. Hikvision, for its part, said in a statement that it “strongly opposes [the] decision by the U.S. Government” and “respects human rights.” The actions come as the U.S.-China trade war shows no signs of abating, and just days before talks are set to resume.
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