China can turn the other cheek, for now

Turning the other cheek takes fortitude, but that’s what China could do in response to the U.S. government’s latest actions. It slapped sanctions on Chinese officials for abuses of Muslim Uighurs, escalating tensions between the two global giants. Beijing may want to drop a trade deal as punishment, but Chinese President Xi Jinping will want threats in his back pocket following the November election. The White House move to go after a high-ranking official brings relations to a new low. The Treasury Department said on Thursday that the head of the communist party in Xinjiang province, where Uighurs are being…