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Washington, United States
The United States has announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products from western China's Xinjiang region on Wednesday over allegations that they are made with forced labour from detained Uighur Muslims.
The Customs and Border Protection agency issued a "withhold release order" on those imports "based on information that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison labour and situations of forced labour," it said.
The agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), estimates that about $9 billion of cotton products and $10 million worth of tomato products were imported from China into the United States in the past year.
DHS acting deputy secretary Kenneth Cuccinelli told a news briefing the order sends a message to importers that "DHS will not tolerate forced labour of any kind" and companies should eradicate Xinjiang products from their supply chains.
It was the latest in a series of withholding release orders issued on products originating in China's huge far-west region, where the government has forced more than one million ethnic Uighur Muslims and other minorities into prison camps, according to human rights groups.
In December, Congress passed the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which assumes that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are made with forced labour and therefore banned unless CBP certifies otherwise.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in his final days in office, has been weighing a determination as to whether forced labour in Xinjiang constitutes an "atrocity" or labelling it "genocide," which analysts say would have significant implications for relations with China.
The region-wide import ban follows a move to block cotton imports from China's largest producer, the military-linked Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC). Both will have a big impact on cotton production in Xinjiang, which produces as much as 20 per cent of the world's supply of the commodity.
Cotton futures prices fell slightly on Wednesday, but traders attributed the drop to profit-taking after prices hit a two year high on a US production outlook cut.
CBP officials said some 43 shipments of cotton-based products have been detained at US entry ports since the XPCC ban was announced.
The US apparel industry had previously criticized a broad ban as impossible to enforce. On Tuesday, a coalition of apparel and retail groups said in a joint statement that members were working to push forced labour from their supply chains but hoped to work with CBP "to make sure that enforcement is smart, transparent, targeted and effective."
The United Nations cites what it says are credible reports that 1 million Muslims held in camps have been put to work in Xinjiang and faith leaders, activist groups and others have said crimes against humanity, including genocide, are taking place.
China denies mistreating Uighurs and says the camps are vocational training centres needed to fight extremism.
The Chinese embassy in Washington said in a statement the forced labour issue was a "political lie" and vowed to take actions to safeguard the rights of its companies.
"The US side resorts to pressure, sanctions and other means to suppress Xinjiang enterprises and undercut Xinjiang's stability, development and prosperity," the statement said.