The Trump administration official took to Twitter on Monday to issue Washington's condemnation of the reported forced sterilizations, forced abortions and coerced use of intrauterine devices (IUDs) among Uighurs.
This comes hours after the Associated Press, citing an advanced copy of research conducted by China scholar Adrian Zenz, reported that the Chinese government has been carrying out practices of forced birth control in order to curb the Muslim population in Xinjiang, China.
“This kind of drop is unprecedented. ... there’s a ruthlessness to it,” the researcher asserted. “This is part of a wider control campaign to subjugate the Uighurs.”
"The world received disturbing reports today that the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] is using forced sterilization, forced abortion, and coercive family planning against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang, as part of a continuing campaign of repression," Pompeo said in a statement posted by department's website on Monday.
"German researcher Adrian Zenz’s shocking revelations are sadly consistent with decades of CCP practices that demonstrate an utter disregard for the sanctity of human life and basic human dignity. We call on the Chinese Communist Party to immediately end these horrific practices and ask all nations to join the United States in demanding an end to these dehumanizing abuses."
The report noted that despite the nationwide decrease in sterilization and IUDs, their use has increased "sharply" Xinjiang.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry slammed the report as "fake news," and spokesman Zhao Lijian told AP that all those in the country, "regardless of whether they’re an ethnic minority or Han Chinese, must follow and act in accordance with the law.”