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Workers sowing seeds in a cotton field in Xinjiang (2016): Reliable evidence of forced labor
Photo: © China Daily China Daily Infor / REUTERS
The US wants to impose further trade restrictions on China.
Cotton and tomato products from the troubled province of Xinjiang, which are said to have been produced with the help of forced labor, are particularly affected, said the US border protection agency CBP.
For the People's Republic, these are important export goods.
China contributes around 20 percent to global cotton production, most of which comes from Xinjiang.
The background to this is the dispute over the Chinese way of dealing with the Muslim Uyghur minority that is settled in the region.
According to the United Nations, more than a million Uighurs have been held in camps and employed there in recent years.
According to US law, imports must be stopped if there are reasonable allegations that the goods were manufactured using forced labor, CBP representative Brenda Smith said.
This suspicion exists for the production of cotton and tomatoes including the corresponding processed products such as textiles and tomato powder in Xinjiang.
There is reliable evidence here, but no conclusive evidence.
According to the CBP, workers are threatened and intimidated, have to work and live in humiliating conditions, and their wages are sometimes withheld.
The investigation was ongoing, added Smith.
China denies mistreatment of the Uyghurs and speaks of vocational training centers that serve the fight against extremism.
A ban on imports for these reasons is an unprecedented approach for the USA.
It is likely to exacerbate the strong tensions between the two largest economic powers in the world.
Among other things, a full-blown trade war with significant mutual punitive tariffs has been underway since US President Donald Trump took office.
The current ban could have far-reaching consequences for US retailers and apparel manufacturers, as well as food producers.
China is not only an important producer of cotton, but also the world's largest importer - and also sources the raw material from the USA.
Xinjiang is also an important region for growing and processing tomatoes.
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fdi / Reuters
