House Republicans attempt to reinstate Trump-era sanctions on China
Voice of America reported in 2020 that the Trump administration imposed sanctions on multiple Chinese companies and other institutions in response to human rights abuses against minority groups.
While President Joe Biden later lifted the sanctions, some House Republicans are attempting to reverse that decision.
Congressman condemns "sordid history of human rights abuses"
According to Fox News, Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles has introduced a bill which would target the Institute of Forensic Science of China.
"It’s past time for the U.S. to confront the [Chinese Communist Party’s] human rights abusers, and Congress will have to lead in the absence of a strong commander in chief," Ogles told Fox News.
Trump-era China sanctions ended by Biden may be revived under new House GOP bill https://t.co/udvzMO8vrF
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 27, 2024
The Tennessee lawmaker went on to allege that China's communist government has "a long and sordid history of human rights abuses."
House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik also supports Ogles' legislation, and Fox News noted that she took aim at the president's record.
Bill has support from conservative groups
"Joe Biden has unacceptably chosen to reward a Communist Chinese company despite their genocidal crimes and human rights abuses against the Uyghur population and other ethnic minorities," Stefanik was quoted as saying.
"This legislation to relist China's Institute of Forensic Science on our Entity List will return us to President Trump's peace through strength strategy and ensure no U.S. technology is benefiting Communist China’s human rights abuses," she added.
Fox News noted how in addition to Stefanik, the bill is also being sponsored by 10 other House Republicans and has been endorsed by Heritage Action and the America First Policy Institute.
The network cited a 2020 press release as saying that the sanctions were retaliation for "human rights violations and abuses committed in China’s campaign of repression."
Biden administration dropped sanctions in effort to curtail drug flow
This was said to include "mass arbitrary detention, forced labor and high-technology surveillance against Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other members of Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR)."
The sanctions were lifted in November of last year on the grounds that they created "a barrier to achieving cooperation" on stopping the flow of drugs into America.
"When we evaluated the issue and looked at all the merits of de-listing the IFS, ultimately we decided that given the steps China was willing to take to cut down on precursor trafficking, it was an appropriate step," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at the time.
