Pelosi: Uighurs bill sends clear message to China

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed a bill Tuesday that toughens the U.S. response to a brutal Chinese crackdown on ethnic minorities, sending a "clear message" to China of U.S. support, hoping to pressure the Trump administration to push Beijing on human rights.

"Over the years, there has been a real commitment to shining a bright light on human rights violations in China. And to say to those who are affected by that, you are not alone, Pelosi said.

The legislation adds another factor to the increasingly stormy relationship between the two countries.

The House and Senate passed the bipartisan bill that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials involved in the mass surveillance and detention of Uighurs and other ethnic groups in the western Xinjiang region, a campaign that has drawn muted international response because of China's influence around the world.

The measure now needs a signature from President Donald Trump, who said he'll "very strongly" consider it amid U.S. anger over China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak and tension over a Chinese plan to restrict civil liberties in Hong Kong.

Trump, nor White House officials have confirmed the president's plans to sign the bill.