US will use ‘all available tools’ to tackle China on trade, make human rights issues a priority

Name: US declares China has committed genocide in its treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang
Uploaded: 2021-03-02T12:00:17.000Z
Duration: 2 min 27 s
Description: US declares China has committed genocide in its treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang

USTR report indicates hardline approach will continue, saying unfair trade practices harm American workers and businesses

It will also target ‘widespread human rights abuses of the Chinese government’s forced labour programme’ in Xinjiang

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The USTR said China’s unfair trade practices and market restrictions threatened America’s technological edge and undermined its national interests. Photo: Xinhua

Wendy Wu

Published: 8:00pm, 2 Mar 2021Updated: 8:00pm, 2 Mar 2021

The Office of the US Trade Representative has indicated it will take a hardline approach to address trade and human rights issues with China, the latest sign tensions between the powers will continue under the new administration.

In its “2021 Trade Agenda and 2020 Annual Report” released on Monday, the USTR said China’s unfair trade practices and restrictions on market access had threatened America’s technological edge, weakened its supply chain resiliency and undermined its national interests.

“The [Joe] Biden administration is committed to using all available tools to take on the range of China’s unfair trade practices that continue to harm US workers and businesses,” the report said.

With Biden in the White House, the US has continued the previous administration’s tough line on China, ignoring repeated calls from Beijing to get bilateral relations back on track.

“The Biden administration will also make it a top priority to address the widespread human rights abuses of the Chinese government’s forced labour programme that targets the Uygurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and elsewhere in the country,” the report said.

02:27

US declares China has committed genocide in its treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang

China has been under growing pressure from the US and other Western nations over its treatment of the Uygur Muslim minority in Xinjiang, where more than a million people are estimated to have been detained. China denies allegations of forced labour and says its camps in the far western region provide vocational training and are needed to fight religious extremism and terrorism.

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