Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today officially determined that Beijing committed genocide against the Muslim population in the province of Xinjiang, right before what could be a major parliamentary rebellion against the U.K. government’s China policy.
“I have determined that the People’s Republic of China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, China, targeting Uyghur Muslims and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter.
“These acts are an affront to the Chinese people and to civilized nations everywhere. The People’s Republic of China and the [Chinese Communist Party] must be held to account,” he continued.
The unexpected step comes just a day before the inauguration of Joe Biden as U.S. president, and piles pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose government is today fighting off an attempt to restrict the government’s ability to secure trade deals with countries deemed to have committed genocide.