US imposes sanctions against China over abuse of Uighurs

US President Joe Biden meets virtually with Chinese President Xi Jinping from the White House in Washington (Susan Walsh/AP)

The Biden administration has said it is imposing new sanctions on several Chinese biotech and surveillance companies and government entities for actions in Xinjiang province, in the latest move against Beijing over human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims in the country’s western region.

The Commerce Department is targeting China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences and its 11 research institutes that focus on using biotechnology to support the Chinese military.