U.S. bars Chinese officials over crackdown on Xinjiang Uighurs and other Muslim minorities

WASHINGTON/BEIJING – The Trump administration on Tuesday slapped travel bans on Chinese officials involved in a massive crackdown on Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in its west. The State Department said it would not issue visas to Chinese government and Communist Party officials believed to be responsible for or complicit in mass detentions and abuses in Xinjiang province. It did not identify the officials or say how many were affected by the ban, which can also be applied to their immediate family members. U.S. lawmakers have specifically asked for action against Chen Quanguo, the Communist Party chief for Xinjiang and a member of the party's powerful Politburo, and U.S. officials have previously mentioned him when saying the Trump administration was considering sanctions against officials linked to China's crackdown on Muslims. Chen earlier led iron-fisted policies aimed at crushing dissent in Tibet and has gained a reputation within the party for his handling of minority groups.