USA bans imports from 26 Chinese textile: US authorities declared on Thursday, May 16, that they would prohibit all imports from 26 Chinese textile enterprises to prevent Uighur community members’ forced labor from reaching US supply chains.

 The Uighur Forced Labour Prevention Act includes these businesses, mostly cotton merchants and warehouses. The US government considers the treatment of Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang province as genocide, and this act passed in 2021, seeks to address that concern.

 According to Washington, Beijing has set up forced labor camps in Xinjiang, where Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups are allegedly abused. China strongly refutes these claims, defending its policies as measures to help the Muslim minority find work and become contributing members of society.

 The US Department of Homeland Security reports that although most Chinese cotton enterprises mentioned are not based in Xinjiang, they obtain cotton from the province.

 Roughly 20% of the world’s cotton is grown in Xinjiang, China, which accounts for almost 25% of global production. In March, Chinese cotton experts pointed out that the cotton the US had prohibited had been transferred to the local market.

 According to a representative from the Chinese embassy in Washington, “This so-called ‘prevention act’ is merely a tool used by American politicians to create disruption in Xinjiang and hinder China’s growth.” The representative slammed the US move.

 The American Apparel & Footwear Association has spoken out against the recent rise in customs taxes on textiles and apparel in the United States, which has only reinforced this view.

 According to the Department of Homeland Security, the US government has blocked imports from 65 Chinese enterprises since the Xinjiang blocklist was implemented.

 The Uighurs’ situation is still a significant concern for the global community, non-governmental organizations, and the garment sector. The Australian Institute for Political Strategy brought attention to the forced relocation and labor of Uighurs in textile factories that have been transformed into detention facilities in a 2020 report. Since China is the leading exporter of textiles, this condition makes it more challenging to determine Xinjiang’s exact role in the industry.