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Citing Xinjiang, EU commits to ban forced labour goods but is divided on how to do it
- An internal battle is under way as to how a ban should be structured and implemented, and under whose remit it should fall
- With supply chain auditing in Xinjiang now nearly impossible, it is unclear how much due diligence European firms will be able to conduct
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Finbarr Berminghamin Brussels
The European Union is moving forward with plans to outlaw goods made using forced labour, senior officials said, citing allegations of widespread uses of such practices in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
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Testifying on Monday before the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, French Trade Minister Franck Riester said it was “perfectly clear that the Xinjiang situation is extremely serious”.
“And that’s why I will come back to this: we should have a specific instrument to block certain products which are the product of forced labour,” said Riester, who was outlining Paris’ trade priorities. France had assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU earlier this month.
The ban was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in September – a surprise move that caught other parts of the EU unaware.
02:46
UK parliament declares Uygurs suffering ‘genocide’ in China’s Xinjiang
UK parliament declares Uygurs suffering ‘genocide’ in China’s Xinjiang
Since then, von der Leyen has said little on the issue and, according to people familiar with the situation, provided very little guidance on how it should be implemented.
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