The United States Congress approved a bill that requires Chinese companies to prove that goods imported from the Chinese Xinjiang region were not manufactured with forced labor. Furthermore, the Biden government accused China of genocide in its oppression of the primarily Muslim Uyghur minority there – a charge China repeatedly denied.
On the other hand, several major companies criticized the Congress approved the bill that does business in the area, such as Apple, Coca-Cola, and Nike. The bill approval also overwhelmed the preliminary lack of support from the White House. On Thursday, the Senate approved with the vote of every Congress member except one.
The US has unleashed a volley of actions to censure China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority, with lawmakers voting to curb trade & issuing new sanctions on Beijing…..the US the first country to ban virtually all imports from China’s northwestern Xinjiang region
*The only way— Truffles (@wine_oasis) December 17, 2021
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act now moved to the U.S. president Joe Biden desk to sign into law. For some months, the White House avoided taking a stance on the move. Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary, said the president would sign it earlier this week. America accused China of using genocide and slavery in the resource-rich western region of China.
Multinational and the United States corporations had lobbied against it out of concern over how it would affect business. However, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said that several companies have already taken steps to clean up their supply chains. Further, he added that they should have no concerns about the recent law.
The Measure Removes a Republican Blockade
Representatives in upper and lower chambers struck a deal this week on the concluding text of the bill after initial versions approved by the Senate and the House. In addition, the move removed a GOP blockade that prohibited the president’s nominated envoy to China, Nicholas Burns, from approval.
Source: Web
Earlier on Thursday, the United States Commerce Department announced sanctions on more than thirty Chinese technology firms and research institutes that faced accusations of working supporting China’s military end uses, including alleged brain-controlled weaponry. The Chinese government uses these technologies to control its citizens and suppress members of religious and ethnic minority groups, Gina Raimondo, the Commerce Secretary, stated.
Moreover, the United States treasury department revealed an investment blocklist of 8 companies of China that it accuses of tracking of Uyghurs and biometric surveillance – including the world’s largest drone maker company, DJI. The recent moves come amid mounting tensions between many major Western countries and China. Such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia announced to diplomatically boycott the following year’s Beijing Winter Olympics in protest against suspected Chinese human rights abuse.
Read ALso: The US Imposed Human Rights Sanctions on Myanmar, China & North Korea
