The US Senate passed legislation yesterday to ban imports of goods from China’s Xinjiang region, US officials say is Washington’s latest attempt to punish Beijing for its ongoing genocide against Uighurs and other Muslim groups.
The Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act would create an “unacceptable presumption” that assumes that goods manufactured in Xinjiang are made with forced labor and are therefore prohibited under the Tariff Act 1930 unless otherwise certified by the Xinjiang authorities. USA.
Accepted unanimously, the bipartisan measure would transfer the burden of proof to importers. The current rule prohibits products if there is reasonable evidence of forced labor.
The bill also has to be approved by the House of Representatives before being sent to the White House for President Joe Biden approval
Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who introduced the legislation with Democrat Jeff Merkle, urged the House to act quickly.
“We will not ignore the ongoing crimes against humanity of the CCP (Communist Party of China), and we will not give corporations a free pass to profit from these horrific abuses,” Rubio said in a statement.
Republican and Democratic advisers said they believed the measure would find widespread support in the House, noting that the House passed a similar measure last year almost unanimously.
*Additional reporting reporting by Patricia Zengerle
