US President Joe Biden has signed a law banning the import of numerous products from the Xinjiang region of China. The law, signed by the US president on Thursday, bans products made in whole or in part in this Chinese province – unless companies can show that the products were not made using forced labor, which is considered difficult.
The background to the law is the dispute between Washington and Beijing over alleged human rights violations against the predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority in western China. China denies US allegations that the provincial government is perpetrating a “genocide” on the minority. Among other things, China is accused of interning hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs in re-education camps and forcing them to work.
The new US law requires that imports of three products must be specially controlled: cotton, for which Xinjiang is one of the largest producers in the world; Tomatoes, which are also produced in large quantities in the region; and polysilicon, a material used in the manufacture of solar modules. It is the world’s first import ban of its kind.
Hold those responsible to account
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the law “gives the government new tools to prevent the importation of forced labor products in Xinjiang and to hold the individuals and organizations behind these abuses accountable draw”. He again called on the Chinese government to end “genocide and crimes against humanity”.
The law goes back to an initiative of the US parliament. Last week the Senate voted unanimously in a rare unity for the import ban. Previously, lobby groups of companies that are heavily dependent on imports from China tried to prevent the vote.
It was noticeable that Biden did not sign the law in front of the camera, like his predecessor Donald Trump with other trade restrictions against China. Instead, his office just posted a photo on Twitter.
Do not let the thread of the conversation break
Like Trump, Biden sees China as America’s greatest rival worldwide. Unlike the Republican, however, the Democrat does not want to let the thread of the conversation break and relies on limited cooperation, for example in the fight against climate change.
The law could become a bigger problem for U.S. companies sourcing parts from China – even if they don’t import directly from Xinjiang. For example, the chip manufacturer Intel got caught in the crossfire when it wrote to its suppliers asking them not to purchase any more goods from the provinces.
This led to an outcry on Chinese internet platforms. Intel tried to counter the public outrage with an apology published on the Chinese platform Weibo. In it the US company wrote: “Our original intention was to ensure compliance with US law”. Intel apologizes “for the problems our respected Chinese customers, partners, and the general public have created.”
The US government criticized this action on Thursday: “We also believe that US companies should never feel the need to apologize for campaigning for basic human rights or fighting against repression,” said Biden’s spokeswoman Jen Psaki.