China Sanctions US Lawmakers Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Chris Smith

China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying Monday announced that his country will sanction four U.S. congressmen, including Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, following the U.S. hostilities over Beijing's treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang province.

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Beijing's sanctions are a response to the U.S. penalties imposed last week on four China's Communist Party and government leaders in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region for alleged abuses.

"Washington once again interfered in China's internal affairs, violated international norms and laws, and damaged bilateral relations," Chunying informed.

China will prohibit the entry to its territory of the U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback; lawmakers Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Chris Smith; and members of the Congress' Executive Committee on China (CEEC), which oversees human rights and the rule of law in that country.

"China's measures will take immediate effect," Chunying declared without describing what the sanctions will be about.

The U.S. accused Beijing of detaining one million people in Xinjiang's re-education camps and prisons. China firmly rejects this claim. The Asian nation is developing educational programs in Xinjiang to teach language skills, legal knowledge, and professional techniques to people associated with terrorist and extremist activities.

Sanctions on Chinese officials include freezing of U.S. assets, travel to that country, and prohibition of doing business with U.S. citizens.