China may ban all US diplomatic passport-holders from Xinjiang - Global Times

Global Times Editor-in-Chief Hu Xijin said on Tuesday, China is considering banning US diplomatic passport-holders from entering the country's western Xinjiang autonomous region.

Hu tweeted out: “Based on what I know, since US Congress plans to pass Xinjiang-related bill, China is considering to impose visa restrictions on US officials and lawmakers who've had an odious performance on Xinjiang issue;it might also ban all US diplomatic passport holders from entering Xinjiang.”

This comes in response to Top US officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's criticism on China’s Uighurs situation publicly. However, China has denied mistreatment at the camps, which Beijing says provide vocational training to help eliminate religious extremism and teach new skills to people of the region.

Beijing has repeatedly urged the US and other foreign states critical of its policies in Xinjiang end their interference in China's domestic affairs.

The recent Chinese retaliation on Hong Kong and Xinjiang issue is not likely to have any effect on the US-China trade negotiations. But the market mood remains fragile after US President Trump announced tariffs on Argentina and Brazil while the US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that Trump will raise tariffs if no trade deal with China is reached.

The Asian stocks are in a sea of red, which is capping the recovering in USD/JPY above the 109 handle. The Aussie trades listless near 0.6820 region, awaiting fresh direction from the RBA policy decision.