US bans on cotton imports from China citing 'slave labor' in Xinjiang
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Washington DC, December 03: Expanding the economic pressure on China, United State' announced a ban on cotton imports from powerful Chinese quasi-military organization saying it uses forced labor of detained Uighur Muslims.
The US Customs and Border Protection agency issues thi ordern on wedensday saying, " "The US Department of Homeland Security announced today that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel at all US ports of entry will detain shipments containing cotton and cotton products originating from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC),"
According to that US Customs and Border Protection will detain shipments containing cotton and cotton products originating from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. CBP’s Office of Trade directed the issuance of a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against cotton products made by the XPCC based on information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labor, including convict labor.
"The WRO applies to all cotton and cotton products produced by the XPCC and its subordinate and affiliated entities as well as any products that are made in whole or in part with or derived from that cotton, such as apparel, garments, and textiles," the release added.
The WRO on XPCC cotton products is the sixth enforcement action that CBP has announced in the past three months against goods made by forced labor from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In July 2020, the U.S. Government issued an advisory to caution businesses about the risks of forced labor in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government continues to execute a campaign of repression targeting the Uyghur people and other ethnic and religious minority groups.
A senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Ken Cuccinelli on Wednesday, “The human rights abuses taking place at the hands of the Chinese Communist government will not be tolerated by President Trump and the American people.”
“DHS is taking the lead to enforce our laws to make sure human rights abusers, including US businesses, are not allowed to manipulate our system to profit from slave labor,” he added.
It should be noted that Xinjiang is a global hub for cotton. It is home to some 11 million Uighurs, and China has been accused of persecuting the minority Uighur population in the Xinjiang province.