The US Senate approved legislation calling on the administration of President Donald Trump to tighten its response to China's campaign against the Muslim Uighur minority, in the latest effort in Washington to punish China.
The move comes as the Trump administration blames Beijing for the worsening epidemic of the emerging coronavirus (Covid-19).
Reuters said the Republican-dominated Senate approved the bill unanimously.
In this way, the legislation is referred to the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives, which must be approved before it is sent to White House for President Trump to sign into law or use its veto against it.
Late last year, the House of Representatives passed overwhelming legislation to respond to China's treatment of the Uighurs.
Legislation and Estimates
The legislation called for sanctions against senior Chinese officials for the crackdown on Muslims in Xinjiang, which angered China.
The United Nations estimates that the Chinese authorities have detained more than a million Uighurs Muslims in camps in Xinjiang in the past few years.
In return, China denies abuse of Uighurs, and says the camps provide professional training.
The drive for stronger US action on the Uighurs comes as relations between the Trump administration and Beijing continue to deteriorate due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Washington blames most of the devastating impact of the health crisis on China's lack of transparency regarding its start of the outbreak, while the latter denies that it has mishandled the outbreak.