US Senate Unanimously Passes Forced Labor Prevention Act Banning Imports of Products from China's Xinjiang Region

President Joe Biden of the United States
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-seop] The U.S. Senate has passed a bill banning the import of products from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The background is China's human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, including forced labor in the Xinjiang region. China immediately opposed the move, calling it a "political maneuver."

According to major foreign media on the 15th, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act." It will take effect once U.S. President Joe Biden signs it.

With the passage of the bill, the U.S. will treat goods manufactured in Xinjiang as products of forced labor. All unauthorized goods by the authorities cannot be imported, and importers must prove that the products are not made with forced labor. This is a significant strengthening compared to the past, when only products with forced labor controversies, such as tomatoes or cotton, were restricted.

The bill was introduced on a bipartisan basis by Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Republican Senator Marco Rubio. Since both parties take a tough stance on China's human rights issues, its implementation is highly likely. President Biden has also been a strong critic of China's human rights abuses since his presidential campaign.

China's position is that "forced labor is a completely fabricated lie." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian opposed the bill at a briefing that day, saying, "The U.S. should stop pushing the related bill and cease political maneuvers."

Human rights organizations and residents of the Xinjiang region claim that since 2016, Chinese authorities have established detention camps for about one million people and have imprisoned ethnic minorities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.