US President Joe Biden signs executive orders in the White House on Jan. 22, 2021. (Photo by Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden has approved a congressional measure that imposes sanctions on China for alleged human rights abuses against people in the Xinjiang region.
The legislation, called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, was passed by the Senate by unanimous consent last week, banning imports from the Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were produced without forced labor, targeting the alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the area.
But Biden signed it signed into law on Thursday.
The bill bans imports of goods from Chinas Xinjiang region unless individuals or companies demonstrate that the materials were made without forced labor.
The White House thanked the legislations co-sponsors, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Senator Rubio called the legislation "the most important and impactful action taken thus far by the United States to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their use of slave labor."
"It will fundamentally change our relationship with Beijing," Rubio said. "This law should also ensure that Americans no longer unknowingly buy goods made by slaves in China. I look forward to working with the Biden Administration and my colleagues to ensure the new law is implemented correctly and enforced properly."
The United States has accused China of committing genocide against millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, whereas Beijing has said that the United States has "no scruples about smearing China by every means."
Activists and UN rights experts claim at least one million Muslims have been forced into camps in Xinjiang. Beijing, however, denies reports that Uyghurs are unfairly marginalized, saying it is addressing underdevelopment and lack of jobs in the heavily Uyghur populated areas such as Xinjiang.
Chinese officials have characterized the camps as "vocational education and employment training centers" for "criminals involved in minor offenses."
Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted elements of Chinas biotechnology sector that officials said are involved in human rights abuses.
SenseTime, a leading developer of facial recognition technology, was placed on a list of "Chinese military-industrial complex companies" in which Americans are banned from investing. The firm is accused of having developed facial recognition programs that can determine a targets ethnicity, with a particular focus on identifying ethnic Uyghurs.
The Chinese embassy in Washington denounced the United States move as "serious interference in Chinas internal affairs" and a "severe violation of basic norms governing international relations."
Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said it would do "grave harm to China-U.S. relations" and called on the Biden administration to overturn the decision.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Friday the American actions show "that the US has no scruples about smearing China by every means," The Associated Press reported.
"The relevant actions seriously undermine the principles of market economy and international economic and trade rules, and seriously damage the interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises," Wang said.
"China strongly deplores and rejects that and urges the US to immediately correct its mistake. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises," Wang added.
Relations between the US and China have been strained over a range of issues from trade to security to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a virtual summit last month, it produced no significant breakthroughs.
Last month, China lashed out at the US for its decision to add dozens of Chinese companies to a trade blacklist, saying the move violated a consensus reached between Biden and Xi.
LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/25101
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