Civic Register
| 7.15.21
Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Sanction Companies Using Forced Labor From Uyghur Concentration Camps in China
Do you support or oppose the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act?
What’s the story?
- The Senate on Wednesday cast a unanimous vote to pass a bill to sanction Chinese companies and individuals who benefit from the use of forced labor, particularly from the Xinjiang region where Uyghurs and other ethnic Muslim minorities have been detained in concentration camps and forced to work.
- The U.S. declared China’s actions in Xinjiang a “genocide” earlier this year and enacted the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 a year ago to authorize sanctions along the lines of what the Senate bill would impose.
- The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would sanction companies and individuals involved with the use of forced labor in Xinjiang under authorities created by, which became law last year. Additionally, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would prohibit the importation of goods presumed to have been made with forced labor in Xinjiang or by entities affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
- The bill’s contents were included in the U.S. Competition and Innovation Act, a broad package of technological and geopolitical provisions aimed at bolstering American competitiveness with China. The U.S. Competition and Innovation Act cleared the Senate on a bipartisan vote of 68-32 in June 2021 but hasn’t been considered yet by the House.
- Following Wednesday’s vote by the Senate, the standalone version of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act now heads to the House. It’s unclear when the House will add it to the schedule, although a vote could occur as early as next week when the chamber returns from its Fourth of July recess. Nearly identical legislation stalled at the end of the last Congress amid a lobbying push by companies such as Coca-Cola, Disney, and Nike, which was referenced in a hearing on the issue during the current Congress at which survivors of the concentration camps testified.
- The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act’s lead sponsor is Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who also was the lead sponsor of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020. Rubio called on the House to follow the Senate’s lead in passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in a statement:
“The message to Beijing and any international company that profits from forced labor in Xinjiang is clear: no more. We will not turn a blind eye to the CCP’s ongoing crimes against humanity, and we will not allow corporations a free pass to profit from those horrific abuses. Once this bill passes the House and is signed by the President, the United States will have more tools to prevent products made with forced labor from entering our nation’s supply chains. We cannot afford any further delay, and I call on my colleagues in the House to promptly send this bill to the President.”
- Lead Democratic cosponsor Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) added:
“Today the Senate is sending a clear message that the United States will not be complicit in the Chinese government’s genocide of Uyghur Muslims. Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are being forced into labor, tortured, imprisoned, forcibly sterilized, and pressured to abandon their religious and cultural practices by the Chinese government. No American corporation should profit from these abuses. No American consumers should be inadvertently purchasing products from slave labor.”
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: Uyghur Concentration Camp: Radio Free Asia / Fair Use)
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The United States needs to show that they are firmly opposed to the acts of human genocide that China is committing against the Uyghur people. While I think that sanctions are the least that the United States could, it’s a start and will hopefully influence other countries to take similar actions.
Sounds to me like modern day slavery. No way should we import goods made by forced labor.
The Wealthiest Nation in the world is paying its citizens inhuman wages. Texas is one of the biggest offenders. Raise the Minimum Wage. Fight for Fifteen! Health Care is a Human Right. Stop being the Lap Dogs of Big Business and Wealthy Individuals.
FINALLY a brought time!!
The United States cannot accept China's excuse it is their country and not the rest of the World's concern! We didn't accept South Africa's excuse for apartheid, and we cannot buy products made with this slave labor!
This probably really pisses Walmart and Nike off.
Companies should not collaborate with China’s internment, abuse and exploitation of the Uyghur.
What I support is cutting all ties with China, as should the rest of the world for the havoc that commie piece of crap country has caused to the entire world. And I am sick of trying to find products made in America and only having chinese junk to choose from.
No one should profit from the exploitation of forced labor camps. In this case money speaks quite loudly and sanctioning those who would profit is the quickest way to force change. Perhaps a tax on the value added by forced labor should be added to products produced. This would remove the profit incentive and apply to every enterprise tempted to profit from sanctioned forced labor. Also this would make it easier to ‘on-shore’ more of our needed production.
It doesn't go far enough. The CCP is waging war to enslave us all. Cut them off. Throw them out. Prosecute those who collude with them. Buy nothing from them. Bring it all back home to the U.S. They have used everything we gave them to steal from us and further their totalitarian designs on their people and ours. Disengage from them completely. They got in our schools, government and media. They blackmail and seek to control everyone and everything. No opposition is tolerated. They own the Democrat party and many in the Republican party. They are destroying us. Get them out anyway you can.
After BBC reported on the systemic gang rape of these Muslim women and reports of forced abortions anyone with a soul should be for this. (FYI - BBC can no longer report in China). This is the worst violation of human rights and I’m glad to see bipartisan support on this. For Nike, Disney, Apple and Coca-cola to lobby against this is pure greed and evil as they profit off of China’s slave labor. All production and manufacturing should be moved back to the USA. If the pandemic didn’t make you realize how dependent the US was on China for essential medical supplies I don’t know what will but we should all stop and think how vulnerable America really is and should start moving away our dependence from China.
😄a👊
Of course. Sanction the hell out of those that intentionally make free people slaves. And, lets get our businesses out of China too, until it’s President Dicktator sees that his actions will not be tolerated by the good people of Earth. Tibet included too……making people give up their beliefs and “reeducating” them to just believe only the Communist way.
Yes sanction countries that use force labor, but apply that to domestic business too. Prison labor, collage athletes, tipped wage earners just to name a few.
It is unacceptable for companies and consumers to benefit from slave labor and ethnic cleansing. The Uyghur's are suffering a genocide similar to what happened to the Jews during the holocaust. We cannot close our eyes. The very least we can do is ensure that we are not profiting from this crime. I support this action.
The treatment of these people needs to be opposed in strong terms by the world; otherwise the government will continue mistreatment.
Surprised to learn that Coca Cola, Disney, and Nike previously opposed this measure. Not at all surprised by the callous disregard of life by some of the posters on this platform. Not sure how implementation will go. How will anyone outside of China know where given goods are manufactured inside China?
Forced labor is wrong on every level & must be stopped. Sactions are a good start. Hit their pocket.
Of course enforcement is the sticky wicket here as we do not and will not have any boots on the ground to verify what is going on in the closed country of China, much less any in-country corroboration. And I fear that this is mainly feel good legislation which will be easily obviated once the campaign coffers are fattened by the corporate benefactors, especially on the GQP side. I pray that I am entirely wrong.
Anytime people must work as slaves we must stop doing any business with that country and insist that all products coming from a country using slave labor be sanctioned cutting off the the US market to those nations.