Congressional Report Notes Far-Reaching Forced Labor Risk of Goods From Xinjiang Region
A Congressional-Executive Commission on China released a report on March 11 that spelled out a number of concerns around the use of forced labor in China. “The risk for complicity in forced labor is high for any company importing goods directly from [Xinjiang] or those partnering with a Chinese company operating in the region,” it said. The report recommended that the administration consider “issuing a comprehensive import ban on all goods produced, wholly or in part, in [Xinjiang] until a determination can be made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that [the province's] authorities and producers have ended the systematic use of forced labor“ of Muslim ethnic minorities. The CECC had a hearing on the issue last year (see 1910170039). The National Council of Textile Organizations said March 11 that it agrees with the CECC recommendations.
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Trade associations representing retailers, apparel firms, shoe companies and importers and wholesalers of shoes and apparel put out a joint statement about the problem of forced labor among Uighur Muslims in re-education camps in China. “We do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains,” they said, adding that they are working to improve their approaches to detect the risk of forced labor in their supply chains. They said they are “deeply concerned” about reports of forced labor among Uighurs. “Accepting the status quo is not an option,” they wrote. “Our members have expressed strong concerns to their suppliers and reiterated that suppliers must maintain a supply chain that is free of involuntary and forced labor.”
They said industry cannot solve the problem unless there is also state-to-state engagement and partnerships among government, industry and labor advocates. They called for the U.S. to form a multistakeholder working group to find solutions “that target bad actors and protect the rights of workers and the integrity of global supply chains.”