US President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill that effectively bans all imports of goods sourced fully or in part from China’s Xinjiang province. It is aimed at combating forced labor.
China has been accused of keeping the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act. “as many as 1.8 million”Uighurs are Kazakhs and Kyrgyz as well members of Muslim minority groups. “in a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps”In the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region.
All goods made in Xinjiang and not imported into the United States will be deemed to have been manufactured with forced labor once the law becomes effective. US Customs and Border Protection is authorized to grant waivers to importers that have submitted the necessary documentation. “clear and convincing evidence”They guarantee that the merchandise they sell is free from any contamination.
It is unclear how open the waivers are, but many analysts predict the law will effectively ban all products sourced directly from Xinjiang. The policy dovetails with other US measures aimed at undermining Chinese economic and political power, like the campaign to convince US allies to join Washington’s diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Xinjiang is a major producer of cotton, agricultural products like tomatoes, and polysilicon – a key component of solar panels. This province, which is majority Muslim in China, borders several countries. These include India to the south and Afghanistan to the north.
China’s critics have been long accusing Beijing for suppressing ethnic minorities in Xinjiang by mass surveillance, incarceration and coercive contraception. They also accuse the Chinese government with attempted genocide.
Commenting on Biden’s signing of the new legislation, Senator Marco Rubio, who co-introduced the bill in January, called it “the most important and impactful action taken thus far by the United States to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their use of slave labor.”
This will profoundly alter our relationships with Beijing.
China asserts that its policies in the autonomous regions have helped to curb radical Islamist ideology, and lift millions out of poverty. Beijing officials claim that the accusations of persecution are fabrications meant to justify US unilateral actions against China.
Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy, described the new law as “a great deal.” “severe violation of international law and norms of international relations.”Washington was invited to his meeting. “stop using Xinjiang to spread lies, interfere in China’s internal affairs and contain China’s development,”Beijing would respond, he said.
The law critics say that the US acts hypocritically in regard to Xinjiang. These critics argue that US cotton farmers and defence contractors are clear beneficiaries of the import ban. This is despite their vocal condemnations of Beijing’s alleged slave labor.
The bill does not help Uyghurs. It is intended to make them less likely to resist.
— Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) December 15, 2021
They also point out that Xinjiang workers could be fired if they are not allowed to work under American pressure.
Share this story via social media
[ad_2]
