Bill would ban imports produced through forced labor
Washington. The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) today strongly praised House passage of the ‘Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’ (H.R. 6210).The bill, which passed by an overwhelming 406-3 margin, would designate most goods produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China as being manufactured through forced labor. Doing so would preclude such products from being sold in the United States. CPA has frequently expressed serious concern about the treatment of ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang, particularly those transferred to forced labor camps.
“China has an ugly record of human rights abuses,” said CPA Chair Dan DiMicco. “Washington is finally paying attention to Beijing’s detention programs, forced labor, and mass surveillance systems. There’s no reason for the United States to buy products made under such conditions. We look forward to working with the Senate and administration to ensure that this bipartisan bill becomes law as soon as possible.”
H.R. 6210 imposes various restrictions related to China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region including a ban on certain imports and sanctions for those involved in human rights violations. The bill would block all goods produced in Xinjiang via forced labor except specific items cleared by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A recent study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) found that more than 1 million Uyghurs and other minority groups in China have been forced into a vast network of “indoctrination” camps since 2017. Many are then transferred to factories in nine separate Chinese provinces, with at least 80,000 Uyghurs transferred out of Xinjiang between 2017 and 2019 alone. ASPI notes that at least 83 well-known global brands have used this labor to manufacture their products, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen.
“China’s human rights abuses are consistently and extremely disturbing,” said Michael Stumo, CEO of the CPA. “We shouldn’t be surprised, however, given Beijing’s callous disregard for human life. This is a government that pays no heed to labor rights, individual freedoms, or internationally recognized environmental standards. The American people don’t want to buy products made under such conditions. This bill is a helpful start toward a wider decoupling from China’s predatory economy.”
CPA has long advocated a U.S. decoupling from China. Read more.
