EU may ban goods made from Uyghur forced labor
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have agreed to ban products manufactured using the forced labor of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China's automobile industry. We are talking about the fact that the aluminum used in Chinese cars is produced using the forced labor of Uyghurs.
Human Rights Watch has called on the European Union to pass a bill on forced labor in China's booming auto industry in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (SHUAR).
On March 5, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU agreed on a draft law to ban products made using forced labor of Uyghurs, and yesterday, on March 13, the governments of the EU countries were expected to vote on it.
"About 10 percent of the world's aluminum, a key material in the production of cars, especially electric cars, is produced in the SHUAR, where the Chinese government's "manpower programs" force ethnic Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims to work in factories and warehouses far from their homes. [...] Companies that manufacture cars in China or buy spare parts from China are at risk of using forced labor," reports the human rights organization.
In 2022, a similar law against the forced labor of Uyghurs came into force in the USA . This document prohibits the importation into the United States of goods manufactured in whole or in part in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
"The new US law means that companies profiting from forced labor in China, particularly in Xinjiang, will no longer be able to do business as usual. [...] It is critical that the US Customs Service sends a message to businesses, China, and the American public that the US government will not turn a blind eye to forced labor and crimes against humanity committed against the Uyghur people," he said . A senior researcher and lawyer of HRW's corporate responsibility department commented on the adopted law.
