White House is watching China closely on forced labor
On Friday the White House criticized China for profiting from human rights abuse and said it was watching the issue of forced labor closely, after the U.S and other international companies came under attack from Chinese consumers for committing not to use cotton from China’s Xinjiang region.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, ”The international community, in our view, should oppose China’s weaponizing of private companies’ dependence on its markets to stifle free expression and inhibit ethical business practices.”
She responded to a question about reports China was exerting pressure on companies that had committed to not using products made with forced labor.
She said ”It is something we are watching closely. I would expect that (the department of) State and Commerce will have more to say on this later today.”
The United States and other Western countries imposed sanctions on Chinese officials on Monday for human rights abuses in Xinjiang and in January Washington announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products from the region over allegations that they are made with forced labor from detained Uighur Muslims.
