China maintains very firm control over its population. Human rights advocates claim the abuses of this communist nation are common. Many of these abuses have been targeted at its Uyghur population - a Muslim minority group of about 11 million people which live mostly in the Xinjiang province in northwestern China. Activists say that over the years, China has progressively curtailed the Uyghurs' religious, commercial and cultural activities. It encourages members of the majority Han Chinese to move to the region and has demolished more than 100 Uyghur cemeteries. It is believed that China has detained up to 3 million Uyghurs over the past few years in state re-education camps where it is accused of conducting a program of forced sterilization against Uyghur women. Former prisoners and staff of China’s “vocational and educational training centers” have recently reported Uyghur women have been subjected to systematic mass rape and torture while incarcerated. Advocates also claim 83 foreign and Chinese companies are benefitting from forced labor programs using Uyghur workers.

In 2017, President Xi issued a directive that "religions in China must be Chinese in orientation" and "adapt themselves to socialist society". This directive led to a crackdown on religious practice that most affected Uyghurs and Tibetans. The Chinese government imposes particularly heavy-handed control in Tibet, and its repressive policies include political, cultural, and religious suppression. China has installed a surveillance network in Xinjiang that includes police checkpoints and facial recognition technology. The Chinese government says the measures are necessary to combat separatist violence in the region, but it is accused of exaggerating the threat in order to justify repression.

Pending Legislation: H.R.1504 - China Trade Relations Act of 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Christopher Smith (NJ)
Status: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker
Speaker: Speaker Mike Johnson (LA)