Britain: Parliament considers banning medical equipment from Xinjiang











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LONDON (Reuters) – British lawmakers will consider an amendment next week that proposes to ban the government from buying medical equipment made in China’s Xinjiang region.

An amendment to a healthcare bill proposed by the UK’s upper house aims to eliminate forced labor from healthcare supply chains. It must now be examined by the lower house.

The amendment does not mention Xinjiang specifically but requires the government to ensure that the procurement of goods and services for health services in England “avoids modern slavery”.

Xinjiang has become a point of tension between Western governments and China in recent years. Human rights groups estimate that more than a million people, Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities, were interned there in camps.

China has declared the camps to be centers for re-education and training and denies any abuse, saying it is fighting religious extremism.

The Politico site reports that British Health Minister Sajid Javid supports the amendment. The Department of Health and Social Affairs declined to comment immediately.

According to Politico, such an amendment could require private companies that obtain contracts from the public health service to meet criteria relating to modern slavery. This could create a blacklist of companies that do not meet UK requirements.

(Reporting James Davey and Kylie MacLellan; French version Valentine Baldassari; editing by Kate Entringer)










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