EAGLE Act Would Create a Rebuttable Presumption of Forced Labor for Xinjiang Goods
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., introduced a bill that would create a rebuttable presumption that all goods mined, produced or manufactured wholly or in part in Xinjiang, or by organizations working with the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region's government in the guise of poverty alleviation, were made with forced labor and cannot be admitted into the U.S. If CBP determines “by clear and convincing evidence” that the goods were not produced by indentured, convict or forced labor, then the goods could enter. This section of the Ensuring American Global Leadership and Engagement Act, or EAGLE Act, would take effect 120 days after the bill is enacted.
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Meeks told Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President Wendy Cutler that speaking out on human rights around the world is a must for him. Meeks, who is African American, visited the South as a child, and saw “white” and “colored” signs. He said he knew his parents had left the Jim Crow South because of the abuses of his people. “It is imbedded in me that we can’t stand by and be quiet when we see human rights violations by China or elsewhere,” he said during a webinar May 25.
He introduced the EAGLE Act that day. In addition to the forced labor provisions, it proposes spending more on diplomacy, offering refugee status for some Hong Kong residents, and calls for coordinating with allies across a number of policies in Asia, including multilateral sanctions. Meeks said the bill calls on the Biden administration to negotiate sectoral agreements in Asia, including digital trade agreements.
Meeks was a proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which included a digital trade chapter. He said it could have helped to move China away from its anti-market practices such as discriminating against foreign firms, stealing intellectual property and more.
Meeks said he doesn't think the U.S. can quickly reenter TPP. He said he hopes that better communication with U.S. voters about the reasons for trade will change the tide on opposition to the agreement. “Being at the forefront of trade has benefited our economic prosperity and our security for decades,” he said.
Meeks praised the Biden administration's early diplomacy with Japan and South Korea but said that when he talks to leaders abroad, “I do hear doubts about whether the United States will stay the course. There is a fear that the next administration could undo the commitments made by this one, and that is why it is very important that Congress act.”