"One million Muslims held in camps" .. Washington condemns the repression of Uighurs and punish Chinese officials

The US State Department has announced visa restrictions for Chinese government and Communist Party officials it believes are responsible for arresting or violating the rights of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that "these visa restrictions come as a complement" to the inclusion of US authorities on the list of 28 Chinese entities blacklisted for involvement in the crackdown in Xinjiang.

"The United States calls on the People's Republic of China to immediately stop its crackdown in Xinjiang," Pompeo said in the statement.

"China is forcibly holding more than a million Muslims as part of a systematic and brutal campaign to eradicate their religion and culture in Xinjiang," he said.

Pompeo did not disclose the number of officials covered by visa restrictions or their identities, but said the measure would also affect family members.

"China should put an end to its brutal surveillance and repression and release all arbitrarily detained," he said.

Chinese resentment
"China expresses its strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Jing Shuang. "There is no human rights problem" in Xinjiang.

"Measures to combat terrorism and eliminate extremism in Xinjiang are aimed at eradicating fertile ground for extremism and terrorism," the Chinese embassy in Washington wrote on Twitter.

The measures "conform to Chinese laws and international practices, and are supported by 25 million people from various ethnic groups in Xinjiang," she said.

Experts and human rights organizations accuse Beijing of holding up to a million Uighur Muslims in camps in Xinjiang, but the Chinese authorities deny the number and confirm that these camps are only centers of professional rehabilitation to combat extremism.

Commercial tension
The US move comes amid rising tensions between the United States and China, particularly over trade policy and Beijing's practices in Xinjiang.

Earlier, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the United States "cannot tolerate and will not tolerate the brutal repression of China's ethnic minorities."

"These accusations are nothing but an excuse used by the United States to deliberately interfere in China's internal affairs," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

Many analysts say US moves make it unlikely that China and the United States will reach an agreement this week to end the trade war.