Washington, June 26: A recent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping has drawn international attention. Official statements from both Washington and Beijing following the meeting did not mention human rights concerns, particularly allegations of persecution against the Uighur community in China.
This silence comes as Trump has softened his tone towards Xi, recently referring to him as a “friend” and a “good person.”
According to a report by the online magazine “The Diplomat,” Uighur activist Rushan Abbas had hoped that Trump’s visit to Beijing last month would lead to significant progress regarding the release of her sister, Gulshan Abbas, who has been imprisoned in China for nearly eight years.
Days before Trump’s trip to Beijing, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed resolutions urging the President to pressure the Chinese Communist Party for the release of six individuals, including Gulshan Abbas.
In an article published in the American newspaper “The Hill” on May 14, Rushan Abbas stated, “I am asking the world’s most powerful democratic leader to demand my sister’s return while looking a dictator in the eye.”
Reports indicate that Trump’s meetings with Xi Jinping did not yield immediate progress on the long-standing issues faced by the Uighur people. Neither Washington nor Beijing has confirmed whether human rights were discussed during the talks.
Many Uighurs have expressed to “The Diplomat” that their faith in U.S. efforts to bring about significant change has diminished. They are seeking alternative ways to assist their family and friends who are detained or under surveillance in China’s Xinjiang region.
Activist Salih Hudayar, 33, remarked, “The fact that Trump met with Xi Jinping despite the ongoing genocide is our greatest loss. The condition should have been, ‘First, you end this genocide, then we can sit down and talk.'”
The report highlights that since 2017, the Chinese government has reportedly detained over one million individuals from Turkic ethnic groups, primarily Uighurs. The Uighurs are predominantly a Muslim community residing in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region.
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