US reintroduces bill to ban forced-labour products from Xinjiang

The bill allows the United States to take action against goods produced with forced labour and will allow President Joe Biden’s administration to sanction traffickers of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.

The United States House of Representatives on Thursday reintroduced a bipartisan bill that would ban imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless it is certified they are not produced with forced labour and allow further sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for abuses against Muslims. The updated version of legislation that passed the House 406-3 in the previous Congress in September is similar to a Senate version that was reintroduced last month after being held up in the previous session. The House bill would authorise the US president to apply sanctions against anyone responsible for labour trafficking of minority Uighurs or other Muslims in Xinjiang, a leading producer of cotton and cotton products.