China committed "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" in its treatment of Muslim Uighurs and ethnic minorities in its autonomous Xinjiang region, the US Secretary of State said Tuesday.

Axar.az reports that Mike Pompeo praised the US for leading "the world in holding the perpetrators of the most heinous human rights abuses accountable" in a statement one day before President-elect Joe Biden assumes office.

He said the US documented China's actions in Xinjiang since March 2017, and local Chinese authorities stepped up their campaign of repression against Uighurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups, including ethnic Kazakhs and ethnic Kyrgyz.

"After careful examination of the available facts, I have determined that since at least March 2017, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), under the direction and control of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), has committed crimes against humanity against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other members of ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang," according to Pompeo.