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On Tuesday, the U.S. government Adding aluminum Inclusion in the list of priority areas for the implementation of the Treaty Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention LawThe law aims to block any products produced in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region that are affected by government forced labor from entering the U.S. market.
The U.S. decision is consistent with the findings of a 2024 Human Rights Watch report, “Fell asleep at the wheel,》documented the forced labor risks involved in sourcing aluminum from Xinjiang and informed United States Senate In May, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear an appeal against the ruling for automakers. Aluminum is key to dozens of auto parts, and the ruling will have a huge impact on car companies’ human rights due diligence.
In recent years, the EU has avoided taking meaningful action. Addressing human rights violations In China, in particular, forced labor in Xinjiang. Instead, it focuses on economic security measures, such as Imposing tariffs on electric vehicles imported from ChinaBut the EU’s forthcoming Forced Labour Regulation (FLR) provides an opportunity for the EU to develop a comprehensive, rights-based approach to its relationship with the Chinese authorities.
The proposed Forced Labor Law aims to prevent EU consumers from purchasing products produced with forced labor anywhere in the world. Once formally adopted, the European Commission will publish an online database listing specific geographic areas and sectors where there is a risk of forced labor, including areas where national authorities practice forced labor. A comprehensive database will be an important resource for companies, regulators, workers’ rights groups and consumers.
Including Xinjiang and the aluminum industry in the FLR database is essential for the regulation to have a concrete impact on China’s government forced labor. The Commission should also include other industries More than 17 industries Human Rights Watch and other groups working to end forced labor in the Uyghur region have found that these practices are linked to government-imposed forced labor.
Although it seems simple, this action requires political courage, just as China has done in the past. Retaliation It has created an atmosphere of fear. It will undoubtedly also face resistance from EU countries. Germany These include countries with strong economic dependence on China. Finding this courage will add considerable strength to the global response to the epidemic, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other governments that are considering bans on the importation of forced labor to address state-imposed forced labor and, more broadly, the serious international crimes committed by the Chinese government in Xinjiang.
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