Ambika Bhardwaj
Published On: December 26, 2021 at 18:31 IST
US President Joe Biden approved the ‘Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’ on Thursday, which prohibits the importation of goods made with forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province into the US. “On Thursday, December 23, 2021, the President passed into Law: H.R. 6256, which prohibits imports from the People’s Republic of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) and sanctions imposed on foreign people responsible for forced labour in the region,” the White House said in a press statement.
The Bill was passed by the US Senate and House of Representatives earlier this month with huge support. The legislation targets specific goods, wares, articles, and merchandise imported immediately from Xinjiang or created by Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans, or participants of other Chinese persecuted groups.
It also needs Biden to place sanctions on officials who are liable for persecuting minority groups and enabling the use of forced labour.
The US moves come amid widespread campaign to Boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Five other nations, in addition to the United States, have already declared a strategic boycott of the games in response to China’s human rights violations. Meanwhile, China maintains its denial of allegations of forced labour or repression of groups.