WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The US House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation requiring President Donald Trump's administration to toughen its stance on China's crackdown on the Muslim Uighur minority in the western province of Xinjiang.
The text of the legislation, which calls for sanctions against members of the Chinese government, it aims to address the serious violations against the Uighurs, including the detention of about one million of them in detention camps.
The legislation also accuses Beijing of taking measures against the Uighurs, including depriving them of their civil and political rights.
"Today, the dignity and rights of the Uighurs are threatened by the brutal actions of Beijing, which is an affront to the global collective conscience," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. "We send a message to Beijing: America is watching and will not remain silent."
The Senate must approve the text before it is sent to the White House for Trump to sign or reject.
Severe anger
Beijing expressed its "outrage" after a vote in the US House of Representatives calling on it to "correct its mistake" and not to "interfere in China's internal affairs."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the bill "arbitrarily" harms China's efforts to "eliminate extremism and combat terrorism" in the Xinjiang region.
"China will respond according to the evolution of the situation," she said, without giving further details.
Experts and human rights organizations accuse China of holding up to a million Uighur Muslims in camps in Shenyang.
"This is one of the most serious human rights problems in the world today," the State Department said.
In its annual report on human rights for 2018, the US State Department said in March that China held Muslims in detention centers with the aim of erasing their religious and ethnic identity.