The U.S. has passed new laws designed to sanction China over its alleged mistreatment of Uyghur Muslims in its western Xinjiang region. The new legislation, which was passed by Congress, is expected to further escalate tensions between the two nations.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed through the U.S. House in a 428-1 vote, which underscored the bipartisan sentiment of lawmakers towards taking a hard-line stance against China over the issue.
The bill included an order for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of entities that collaborate with the Chinese government in the alleged repression of the Uyghur people, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in Xinjiang, as well as other groups.
The legislation also includes a provision that would prohibit goods from entering the U.S. from those entities. The law has a "rebuttable presumption" clause that implies all commodities arriving from Xinjiang are created with forced labor and so are prohibited unless the commissioner of the United States Customs and Border Protection determines otherwise.
Shares of most Chinese solar equipment manufacturers plummeted on Thursday, including those of Xinjiang-based companies Trina Solar Co. and J.A. Solar Technology Co.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that the bills are the country's way of "combating this horrific situation." Pelosi accused China of "waging a brutal campaign of repression" against minorities in the Xinjiang region, including forced labor, torture, and mass incarceration.
Two additional measures related to Uyghur Muslims were also approved by similar margins, including a resolution expressing the House's view that the International Olympic Committee had failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments in the Peng Shuai case and a resolution asserting genocide is taking place in Xinjiang and calling for a U.N. investigation.
The passing of the legislation comes just days after the U.S. announced that it would be engaging in a "diplomatic boycott" of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing over the same issue. The White House announced earlier in the week that it would not be sending an official delegation to the Games.
China has repeatedly denied accusations of genocide made by the U.S. government and from other countries. Last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian labeled claims of forced labor in Xinjiang "lies" and said the U.S.'s new bill is pure political manipulation with the objective of undermining Xinjiang's stability and development under the guise of human rights.
