Beijing, July 13 (RHC)-- China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying announced on Monday sanctions against some U.S. congressmen, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio, in response to restrictions introduced by the U.S. Treasury Department against four Chinese political leaders and one entity, Reuters reports.  According to the agency, the measure will also affect some U.S. companies.

The U.S. Treasury Department explained that it imposed its sanctions in relation to "serious rights abuses" against the Uighur ethnic group in the Xinjiang region, in the northwest of the Asian country, reports Russia Today.

Washington's actions affected the regional secretary of the Communist Party, Chen Quangu; Zhu Hailun, former regional deputy secretary of the party; Wang Mingshan, director and secretary of the Communist Party's Xinjiang Public Security Bureau and Huo Liujun, former secretary of the Bureau, as well as the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau itself.