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A28 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 11 July 2020
China vows retaliation against U.S. sanctions over Xinjiang

BEIJING (AP) — China ist tendencies. It says those
said Friday it will retaliate facilities have since been
against U.S. officials and closed, a claim impossible
institutions following Wash- to deny given the restric-
ington's imposition of sanc- tions on visits and reporting
tions on three local officials about the region.
of the ruling Communist Camp veterans and fam-
Party over human rights ily members say those held
abuses in the northwestern are forced, often with the
region of Xinjiang. threat of violence, to de-
China will "definitely fight nounce their religion, cul-
back" against actions it ture and language and
considers interference in swear loyalty to party
its internal affairs and that leader and head of state
which threaten its sover- Xi Jinping. China says vast,
eignty, security and devel- resource-rich Xinjiang has
opment interests, foreign long been its territory and
ministry spokesperson Zhao claims it is bringing stabil-
Lijian told reporters at a ity and prosperity to the
daily briefing. region. Many Uighurs and
Zhao said China "strongly others among the region's
opposes and condemns" native population say they
the Trump administration's are being denied eco-
decision to bar the three In this June 10, 2020, file photo, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a news confer- nomic options in favor of
officials from entering the ence at the State Department in Washington. migrants from elsewhere in
U.S., the latest in a series Associated Press China and that the party
moves taken against Chi- wishes to eliminate their
na as relations deteriorate responsible for barring for- last year. Xinjiang, to include forced separate cultures. In Octo-
over the coronavirus pan- eigners' access to Tibet. The sanctions were an- labor, arbitrary mass deten- ber 2019, the United States
demic, human rights, Hong Thursday's step, however, nounced a week after an tion, and forced popula- imposed visa restrictions on
Kong and trade. hits a more senior level of AP investigation showed tion control, and attempts Chinese officials "believed
"In response to the wrong leadership, targeting Chen forced population control to erase their culture and to be responsible for, or
practice of the U.S., China Quanguo, Xinjiang's rank- of the Uighurs and other Muslim faith," Secretary of complicit in" the detention
decided to take reciprocal ing leader and a member largely Muslim minorities, State Mike Pompeo said in of Muslims in Xinjiang. It also
measures against the rel- of the party's Politburo, one of the reasons cited by a statement. blacklisted more than two
evant U.S. institutions and along with regional secu- the State Department for China has detained an es- dozen Chinese compa-
individuals who performed rity officials Zhu Hailun and the sanctions timated 1 million or more nies and agencies linked
badly on the Xinjiang-relat- Wang Mingshan. "The United States will not members of its Muslim eth- to abuses in the region
ed issues," Zhao said. They and their immedi- stand idly by as the Chi- nic minority groups in intern- — including surveillance
The U.S. administration's ate family members are nese Communist Party car- ment camps, described technology manufacturers
Thursday announce- banned from entering the ries out human rights abus- by the government as vo- and Xinjiang's public secu-
ment comes a day after United States. The Associ- es targeting Uighurs, ethnic cational training facilities rity bureau — effectively
it slapped visa bans on ated Press profiled Zhu as Kazakhs and members of aimed at countering Mus- blocking them from buying
Chinese officials deemed part of a package of stories other minority groups in lim radicalism and separat- U.S. products.q

Lawmakers vote to shut down Philippines' largest TV network

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — be viewed by millions of Fili- other and wept. "We lost
Philippine lawmakers voted pinos on free TV, has been our voice," Irish Vidal, a
Friday to reject the license able to continue broad- news staffer, said in tears.
renewal of the country's casting some of its TV and Outside its headquarters,
largest TV network, shut- radio news programs over journalists and TV and mov-
ting down a major news paid cable channels, but ie celebrities lit candles and
provider that had been with a small fraction of its held protest placards.
repeatedly threatened by former viewership. Duterte and his allies had
the president over its criti- "We are deeply hurt," ABS- questioned the network's
cal coverage. CBN President and CEO compliance with the law
The House of Representa- Carlo Katigbak said, but he and the terms of its fran-
tives' Committee on Fran- suggested the company chise, including its alleged
chises voted 70-11 to reject will try to find other ways to use of a dummy corpora-
a new 25-year license for return to business. tion and large numbers of
ABS-CBN Corp. The Na- "Together with our employ- non-regular workers with-
tional Telecommunications ees and our audiences all out employment security.
Commission had ordered A supporter holds a slogan that reads: "ABS-CBN workers, Fight over the world, we share in The company denied any
continues" during a rally outside the ABS-CBN headquarters in
the broadcaster to shut Quezon City, Philippines, Friday July 10, 2020. your sadness over this set- wrongdoing in a dozen
down in May after its old Associated Press back," Katigbak said. "We televised House hearings.
franchise expired. It halted look forward to the day International media watch-
broadcasting then, but the sentatives, which is domi- chance of any reversal of when we can again re- dogs condemned the clo-
vote takes it off the air per- nated by President Rodrigo Friday's vote is extremely unite." sure of ABS-CBN, which was
manently. Duterte's allies, can grant low, lawmakers said. In the network's newsroom, founded in 1953, as a major
Only the House of Repre- such franchises and the The network, which used to journalists hugged each blow to press freedom.q