EU Parliament to Pursue Ban on Forced Labor

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Facts

  • On Tuesday, the European Parliament voted on a motion to ban forced labor-manufactured products. Legislators reportedly aim to prohibit imports from areas including Xinjiang, home to China's Uyghur Muslim minority, though China isn't explicitly mentioned in the law.1
  • The new law passed with 555 votes in favor, six against, and 45 abstentions. Before the new law takes effect in 2027 it must be ratified by member states.2
  • According to human rights groups, at least 1M people, predominantly Muslim minorities, have been incarcerated in China's northwest Xinjiang province and have endured forced labor conditions.3
  • The law is aimed primarily against China as well as Turkmenistan. If the European Commission suspects slave labor in non-EU countries, it may conduct investigations and seek inspections.2
  • If evidence of forced labor is found, inspectors will reportedly confiscate the items at the border and compel their removal from the European market and online sellers.3
  • According to critics, the bill is less comprehensive than one in the US, which was adopted in 2021. The US legislation prohibited products from Xinjiang unless companies could establish that their products did not include forced labor processes.1

Sources: 1Al Jazeera, 2Euronews and 3Barrons.

Narratives

  • Anti-China narrative, as provided by Human Rights Watch. State-enforced forced labor is a huge problem all throughout the world, yet it is also extremely difficult to identify. This vital new law will provide the EU with the powers it needs to restrict imports and exports of forced-labor items. It will allow the European Commission to identify high-risk economic sectors that employ forced labor, such as China's Xinjiang aluminum industry. This new law will help mitigate forced labor abuses throughout the world.
  • Pro-China narrative, as provided by Grayzone. The Biden administration has accused Beijing of everything from the mass imprisonment of Uyghurs to forcible sterilization and genocide in its attempts to undermine China's economic rise. The main source for this misinformation is the controversial Xinjiang researcher Adrian Zenz with the right-wing Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. This is yet another trade restriction made to protect Europes markets from Chinese goods.

Predictions