Addressing Forced Labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region: Toward a Shared Agenda

“Addressing Forced Labor” is  a practical campaigning document from CSIS which sets out three steps that the world community can take in trying to influence China to change its policy and practice towards in the Uighur people. Leverage – companies that doing business with Chinese companies and state enterprises in the region can use those relationships to try change policy. Traceability of products, especially cotton and the new technology based industries being developed is a key to identifying those items that have been produced by forced Labour and refusing to trade in them. Diversification of supply, which is an increasing global policy goal: moving away from dependency on Chinese goods and raw materials and finding new sources. The report is the first in a promises new series to explore the issues:

From CSIS:
“The forced labor of ethnic and religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), as part of a broader pattern of severe human rights abuses, is a significant and growing concern that demands the attention of governments and private-sector actors across the world. Products entering the United States, Europe, and other democracies are at risk of being affected by these forced labor practices, which often occur several steps away from global brands in supply chains. Companies cannot currently easily ensure that their products are not affected by XUAR-linked forced labor because brands often cannot trace their products to origin, and the XUAR’s important role in a number of sectors may require significant changes in sourcing practices. Moreover, global brands seeking to exert leverage on their Chinese suppliers with regard to XUAR sourcing are reportedly seen to intervene with internal political affairs. This brief explores what the XUAR produces, the sectors that are implicated, the resulting sourcing challenges, and the opportunities for collective action to be explored in further research.”

The Policy Brief is here: