US bans cotton imports from Chinese Xinjiang over 'slave labor' use

(Patria) – The administration of US President Donald Trump has intensified economic pressure on China's western province of Xinjiang by banning cotton imports from a powerful local organization it claims uses forced labor of Uyghurs held in concentration camps there.

The US Customs and Border Protection announced on Wednesday that a new order prohibits the import of cotton and cotton products from the company 'Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC)', which is one of China's largest producers.

The import ban for XPCC, from which the US imported about 30% of its total cotton supplies in 2015, follows a ban imposed by the US Department of the Treasury on all dollar transactions with this business and paramilitary entity that has existed since 1954.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kenneth Cuccinelli called the 'Made in China' label a 'warning'.

- Behind the cheap cotton items you might be buying for family and friends this holiday season – if they come from China – there might be slave labor... and one of the most severe human rights violations that exist in the modern world, Cuccinelli said at a press conference.

The United Nations claims there are credible reports that more than a million Uyghur Muslims are being forcibly held in camps in Xinjiang. China denies allegations of abuse of Uyghurs, persistently claiming that these are vocational training centers as a form of combating extremism.

The newly elected President Biden has also promised to pressure China regarding human rights violations and trade rules in cooperation with US allies.

In recent weeks, President Trump has intensified action against major Chinese state-owned companies, including, among other things, banning access to US technology and investments, Reuters reports.