(ChinaAid, Midland, TX) The United States Senate passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and now waits to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevent Act places a ban on products produced in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government enslaves, tortures, and sterilizes the Uyghur population in concentration camps. US lawmakers provided an exception to the ban, however. If suppliers could prove to a congressional commission that their products were made without forced labor, they would be permitted in the US. The act passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday with bipartisan support.
Bob Fu commented on the Senate passage:
“We join our partners together to thank the congressional leaders from both political parties, particularly Senator Marco Rubio, Representative Chris Smith, and Representative Jim McGovern. They all championed tirelessly for the passage of this important bipartisan bill. This legislation has strong teeth. Not only does it pressure the perpetrators of genocide, but the bill also holds corporate accomplices accountable. Their complicity to the crimes against humanity will not go unnoticed by U.S. Congress.”
Fu also expressed how he hopes the sponsors of the “Genocide Olympics” will follow suit by pulling their ads from the Winter Games.
US Congress waits for President Joe Biden to sign the bill. The White House already announced Biden’s approval for the bill on Tuesday, stating “The President welcomes the agreement by Congress on the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.”