Muslim Uighur Camps ‘Right Thing to Do’, President Trump Allegedly Said According to Former National Security Advisor Bolton

“[At the] Osaka G-20 meeting in June 2019, with only interpreters present, [China President] Xi had explained to Trump why he was basically building concentration camps in Xinjiang. According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which Trump thought was exactly the right thing to do.” This is an excerpt from an upcoming book by John Bolton, President Trump’s Former National Security Advisor.

China has publicly acknowledged the existence of detention centers that “have been established with the goal of educating and rehabilitating people guilty of minor crimes or law-breaking and eradicating the influence of terrorism and extremism”. However, leaked documents reveal a “systematic detention of Muslim Uighurs” wherein the Chinese government is detaining Uighurs in the Xinjiang region of China and holding them in so-called “training centers”. Detainees are “educated and trained in the training center for at least one year”. During this time, Chinese officials purportedly “manage and control student activities to prevent escapes” including monitoring of “eating periods”, “toilet breaks”, and “bath time”.

In response, the United States has recently passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, which President Trump signed into law today. The law directs the President to condemn China’s abuses against Uyghurs; call on China to close these internment camps; ensure the Chinese government’s respect for human rights; and allow for the detained to reestablish contact with their loved ones. Additionally, it calls on the Secretary of State to “consider strategically employing sanctions” and “visa restrictions”.