In first, US punishes senior Chinese officials over Uighur rights

The United States on Thursday took its first major action to stop "horrific" abuses against China's Uighurs and other Turkic Muslims, slapping sanctions on several senior officials. Three officials will be refused US visas and see any US-based assets frozen including Chen Quanguo, the Chinese Communist Party chief for the Xinjiang region and architect of Beijing's hardline policies against restive minorities. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was acting against "horrific and systematic abuses" in the western region including forced labor, mass detention and involuntary population control.