The upcoming Trump administration has picked two well-known China-policy critics for top positions - Marco Rubio as state secretary and Mike Waltz as national-security advisor‚ both known for their hard-line stance on Beijingʼs Uyghur policies
About 3 years ago Waltz made headlines by comparing Beijing Olympics to the nazi-era games pushing for a US boycott. Meanwhile Rubio co-wrote the ground-breaking Uyghur labor law that blocks Xinjiang goods (unless proven forced-labor free) from entering US markets; this law became the strongest US response to mass-detentions that started roughly 7 years ago
Nationless corporations are helping the Chinese Communist Party cover up genocide and slave labor in the region
The nominations got positive feedback from Uyghur advocates: “Having engaged with both offices Im hopeful for the future“ said Rayhan Asat‚ whose brother sits in Chinese prison. However these picks might create some in-house tension - Trumpʼs previous stance on Uyghur issues wasnt as firm
- Trump delayed Treasury sanctions during trade talks
- His private talk with Xi raised questions
- Close ally Elon Musks Tesla opened Xinjiang showroom
Beijing already showed its cards by putting sanctions on Rubio about 4 years ago‚ alongside other US officials. Sophie Richardson‚ ex-China director at Human Rights Watch points out that while some Trump-era officials cared deeply about these issues‚ the presidents own actions didnt help build credibility