The United States has reduced imports from Xinjiang due to forced labor allegations

Joe Biden on December 22, 2021 in Washington – AFP

Amid allegations of forced labor on Uyghur minorities, President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a law banning large quantities of goods manufactured in the Chinese province of Xinjiang from entering the United States.

The rule prohibits the importation of goods, in whole or in part, into Xinjiang, unless it is shown that the customs officials are not the result of forced labor. This is a control the world has never seen before.

The law requires special attention to the import of three commodities: cotton, Xinjiang is one of the largest producers in the world; Tomatoes are widely grown in the region; And polysilicon, a material used in the manufacture of photovoltaic panels.

Therefore, “the government is gaining new tools to prevent the entry of forced labor products into Xinjiang and to take into account the people and companies behind these abuses,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkan said in a statement on Thursday. He called on the Chinese government to end “genocide and crimes against humanity.”

According to the White House, the text “imposes sanctions on foreigners responsible for forced labor in the region.”

The Senate unanimously approved the law on December 16, a victory for those who support the policy of aggression to combat human rights abuses.

Already under intense pressure of epidemics, the standard was adopted, in defiance of the companies’ campaign, which argued that the move would be detrimental to global distribution chains.

While signing the speech, Biden of the Democrats thanked Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who pointed to the White House as one of the authors of the bill.

“This is the most important and effective step the Chinese Communist Party has ever taken to take responsibility for forced labor,” Rubio said in a statement on Thursday.

However, during the legislative process, the Republican opposition accused him of trying to weaken the White House speech.

– Problems with Intel –

Western nations accuse Beijing of trapping the majority Muslim and Turkish-speaking community in western China into large labor camps.

On Thursday, the trade and treasury departments announced new sanctions against Chinese biotechnology and high-tech companies accused of serving their country’s government in expanding Uyghur surveillance.

The Treasury has barred Americans from doing business with eight high-tech companies, including DJI, the world’s largest drone company, which has been on the trade block for two years.

But law enforcement and, in general, US attacks against certain Chinese economic interests will cause friction. One that came to light this Thursday was the controversy surrounding the American semiconductor company Intel.

Following the passage of the law in the Senate and the battery of US sanctions against Chinese companies, Intel sent an email to its suppliers urging them to refrain from buying in the region.

This created a strong rejection in China, with Chipmaker seeking to be reassured in a statement posted on Chinese social media site Weibo: “Our primary goal is to ensure that US laws (…) are respected. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to our esteemed Chinese customers, our allies and the public.”

“We hope that the private sector and the international community will oppose China’s use of its markets as a tool to block human rights support,” White House spokeswoman Zhen Zhao said when asked about Intel’s statement.

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