US HOUSE TO VOTE ON BILL BANNING IMPORTS OF PRODUCTS FROM CHINA’S XINJIANG

Sat 04 December 2021:

Representative Jim McGovern, the bill’s sponsor, said on Thursday that the US House of Representatives is set to vote next week on a bill that would prohibit imports from China’s Xinjiang region due to concerns about forced labor.

If the Uyghur measures are implemented, they could lead to a “rebuttable presumption” of forced labor in the production of goods from Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has established large networks of detention camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.

“Next week is an important week for human rights,” McGovern said. “… We think it’s important to move some China legislation, hopefully much of it focused on human rights. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act we want to see that get over the finish line in some form.”

Republicans and Democrats have been at odds for a long time over Uyghur legislation.

Senator Marco Rubio recently requested that the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, be amended to include the measure. This postponed the Senate’s consideration of the massive annual bill that establishes Pentagon policies.

Neither Rubio’s office nor his spokesperson responded immediately to a request for comment on whether House passage of McGovern’s defense bill would change his position.

Republicans have accused Biden’s Democrats of dragging their feet on the legislation because it would complicate the president’s renewable energy agenda. Democrats, on the other hand, deny that charge.

“I just want to see a strong, a much stronger, approach when it comes to forced labor in Xinjiang,” said Democratic Representative Dan Kildee during a telephone interview with news agency Reuters. According to him, domestic production of solar panels could be increased.

The Chinese government denies that abuses are taking place in Xinjiang, which supplies a large portion of the world’s solar panels. However, the US government and many human rights organizations claim genocide is taking place.

In response to China’s growing influence President Biden will host a summit of democracies next week.

(with agency)

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