US Senate unanimously approved bill banning imports of products from China’s Xinjiang region

The US Senate has approved a bill banning the importation of products from China’s Xinjiang region, the latest move to pressure Beijing for what Washington sees as abuses against the Uyghur Muslim community.

The Uyghur Law on the Prevention of Forced Labor, which the Upper House unanimously approved Wednesday evening, it seeks to ban the importation of products resulting from forced labor which would have been used in this region of northwest China.

The bill has been sent for consideration by the House of Representatives.

“The message for Beijing and any international business that benefits from forced labor in Xinjiang is clear: nothing.Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement.

The United States banned the import of solar panel materials from a Chinese company in late June and imposed trade restrictions on four others for allegedly using forced labor from Xinjiang.

Yes Last week, it imposed sanctions on 34 companies and other entities related to the Chinese military and policy towards the Uyghur minority, as well as to facilitate exports to Russia and Iran.. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with survivors of Xinjiang Forced Labor Camps in Washington last week.

Human rights organizations claim that at least one million Uyghurs and other minorities, mostly Muslims, are held in forced labor camps in Xinjiang, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilizing women.

Beijing denies these accusations and insists that its policies in Xinjiang are necessary to counter violent extremism.

THE GENOCIDE OF OUIGURS

The Biden government reiterated a few days ago genocide allegations against China for the repression of Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang..

The announcement follows the release of the State Department’s annual report to Congress on the Prevention of Genocide and Atrocities, which calls on the federal government to Describe the measures you take to prevent and stop such actions abroad.

“This administration will defend and protect human rights around the world and recognizes that the prevention of atrocities is a central national security interest and a fundamental moral responsibility.me, ”he said.

The United States reiterates its complaints about China’s actions against the Uyghurs, which constitute a “genocideThe allegations against China were first made by the administration of former President Donald Trump, as was the determination that Myanmar was involved in a.ethnic cleansing“Against Muslims connect in its northern state of Rakhine.

The report also notes Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s determination that “People’s Republic of China commits genocide and crimes against humanity against majority Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang”.

These crimes include imprisonment, torture, forced sterilization and persecution, according to the report. President Joe Biden’s administration has complied and extended Trump-era sanctions for alleged atrocities, the report warns.

KEEP READING: