Clyburn won’t say if China committed genocide against Uyghurs: ‘I’m trying to stay out of this foreign affairs’



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Majority House Whip James Clyburn, DS.C., on Tuesday declined to comment on whether China was committing genocide against ethnic Uyghur Muslims in northwestern Xinjiang province, telling ” America Reports “that” I try to stay out of this foreign account. “

“I haven’t made a special effort on my part here in Congress,” Clyburn told co-host Sandra Smith. “I listen to these things and generally reserve my comments when they border on international issues, and so will today.”

Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that he had determined that the Beijing government “has committed genocide against the Muslim-majority Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”

“I believe that this genocide is underway and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy the Uyghurs by the Chinese [Communist] Party-State, “Pompeo said in a statement.” The governing authorities of the second most economically, militarily and politically powerful country in the world have made it clear that they are engaged in the forced assimilation and eventual obliteration of a vulnerable ethnic and religious minority group. , even as they simultaneously claim their country as a world leader and try to reshape the international system in their image. “

When asked if he supported Pompeo’s statement, Clyburn replied, “I haven’t studied it either, you know, I don’t react to the headlines. I tend to see exactly what leads to these titles. You know, what got us so much trouble in this country today is the sound bites. People reacted to the sound bites. And then we watch them [and] you see that is not the substance. “

Smith tried again, noting that President-elect Joe Biden’s candidate for Treasury secretary Janet Yellen had said China was guilty of “horrific human rights violations.”

“How do you answer this question?” she asked.

POMPEO DESIGNATES THE CHINESE TREATMENT OF OUIGHURS AN “ ACT OF GENOCIDE ”

“Well, again, I’m going to see how these international issues – Pompeo is not one of my favorite people and do something like that on the last day of his tenure, [I] wanted the transition to be normal so the Biden administration was part of those kinds of issues. To do this stuff on the last day at the office [is] put people in really sensitive positions and try to make it difficult for the incoming administration. I’m just not going to get into that. “

“But, as far as you know, regarding actions taken by China, President Xi [Jinping] took, do you believe he is guilty of genocide, knowing what you know today? “Smith asked.” It is extremely important that we know where the new administration is as well.

“You can ask me as many times as you want,” Clyburn replied. “I’m not going to go in there. I’ll wait and see which administration I trust, what conclusions they come to before I start. I’m not going to pass judgment on that.

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Clyburn’s non-engagement stance appears to be at odds with the president-elect, whose campaign said in August that China’s “indescribable oppression” against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities “is genocide and Joe Biden opposes it in the strongest terms ”.

The House Majority Whip’s non-responses drew a scathing response from Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., Who told Fox News in a statement: “Dealing with the Chinese Communist Party’s genocide should be bipartisan. Americans should be united against a genocidal regime that rapes and tortures Uyghurs. Human dignity is not a partisan issue. “

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