Friday, July 16, 2021
Uighurs in China
US Senate bans products from Xinjiang
One million Uyghurs and other members of Muslim minorities are detained in forced labor camps in Xinjiang Province, China. The US is now targeting human rights violations and banning all imports of goods from the region – Beijing has responded with harsh criticism.
Because of China’s alleged human rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, the US Senate has approved an import ban on goods from Xinjiang Province. The House of Lords voted unanimously for the law, which is directed against forced labor and other human rights violations against the Muslim communities in the northwestern province. The Chinese government firmly rejected the move.
“The message to Beijing and every international company that benefits from forced labor in Xinjiang is clear: stop it,” Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement. The Chinese Communist Party’s human rights violations would no longer be tolerated, and corporations could no longer “benefit from these terrible abuses”.
A million Uighurs locked up in detention camps
According to human rights organizations, at least one million Uyghurs and other members of Muslim minorities are imprisoned in hundreds of detention camps in Xinjiang. You have to hire yourself as a slave labor in cotton production, among other things. Beijing, on the other hand, speaks of training and work programs against extremism in the region.
The government in Beijing responded with sharp criticism of the Senate vote. The allegations are completely untenable and the US “is damaging the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains significantly,” said the Department of Commerce. “This is neither good for China nor for the US, nor for the recovery of the world economy.”
The US has already taken action against China because of the human rights situation in Xinjiang: The import of materials for solar panels from a Chinese company has been banned and there are restrictions on trade with four other companies that allegedly use forced labor in the region.
The new US law provides for requirements for importers to “effectively trace the supply chain” and other duties of care. The customs and border authorities should also draw up plans to prevent critical imports. The House of Representatives also has to approve before President Joe Biden can sign the bill.
.