U.S. to Ban Imports From China's Xinjiang Region, Citing Forced Labor

On Wednesday, the Trump administration issued a ban on all cotton and tomato imports from western China’s Xinjiang region due to allegations that they are made with forced labor from detained Uighur Muslims, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Xinjiang accounts for nearly 20% of global cotton production; the U.S. imported $9 billion in cotton products and $10 million in tomatoes from China last year. “Imports made on the cheap by using forced labor hurt American businesses that respect human rights and also expose unsuspecting consumers to unethical purchases,” CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said in the statement. The Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act is up for consideration in the Senate; the proposal would ban all products imported from Xinjiang unless customs officials verify the product was made without forced labor. Coverage from center- and left-rated outlets tended to frame the story as an effort by the Trump administration to harden the U.S.' economic standing against Beijing, and provided speculation about how Biden would respond to the China-U.S. relationship once he takes office. Right-rated outlets tended to highlight the CBP's remarks on forced labor.