China objects as Biden signs Bill banning Xinjiang-made goods

WASHINGTON • US President Joe Biden has signed into law a Bill banning goods from China's Xinjiang region unless companies can prove they are not made with forced labour, a move that will add to Washington's tensions with Beijing over its treatment of the nation's Uighur minority.

The Bill was passed with unanimous backing in both the House and Senate earlier this month, showcasing how Republicans and Democrats are largely aligned on China policy despite Washington's deep partisan divisions on most other major issues.

The measure is motivated by concern about the oppression of Uighur Muslims in a region that holds a major place in global supply chains. Xinjiang is a source for cotton used in clothing and is a key location for producing polysilicon used in solar panels, which in turn are seen as crucial in the global shift away from fossil fuels.

The new law could pose a significant challenge for American and other firms that source items from Xinjiang for products used in the United States. Even before Mr Biden signed the Bill, Intel found itself embroiled in controversy after the chipmaker asked suppliers not to use any labour or products sourced from Xinjiang, and then apologised for the move.

China said it deplores and firmly rejects the US signing of the Bill into law. The act "maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth", the Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

"China will make further response in light of the development of the situation," it added.

"It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs," a ministry spokesman said, adding that the so-called allegations of "forced labour" and "genocide" in Xinjiang are nothing but lies concocted by anti-China forces.

The spokesman noted that the US has been using Xinjiang-related issues to "create rumours and make trouble", accusing Washington of "engaging in political manipulation and economic coercion... under the pretext of human rights". The spokesman also called out the US for "crimes against humanity against Native Americans in the past" and said Washington should save the labels of "forced labour" and "genocide" for itself.

"I must stress once again that Xinjiang-related issues are purely China's internal affairs. The Chinese government and Chinese people are firmly resolved in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests.

"We admonish the US side to correct the mistake immediately, and stop using Xinjiang-related issues to spread lies, interfere in China's internal affairs and contain China's development. China will make further response in light of the development of the situation," said the spokesman.

The Bill requires the US Department of Homeland Security to create a list of entities that collaborate with the Chinese government in the repression of the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, as well as other groups.

The legislation also contains a "rebuttable presumption" that assumes all goods from the region were made with forced labour unless the commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection gives an exception.

Chinese officials deny that forced labour is used in Xinjiang and call the legislation interference in the nation's domestic affairs - a line reiterated recently by Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian at a regular press briefing in Beijing.

"By fabricating lies and making troubles with such issues, some US politicians are seeking to contain China," he said. "Their vile scheme will never succeed."

BLOOMBERG, XINHUA