The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China renews its concern about the continued use of forced labour in Xinjiang. Work published today by Dr. Adrian Zenz highlights the persistence of coercive labour transfers of Uyghurs in the cotton industry, including elderly people over 60 years old. Disturbing findings include state documents categorising certain Uyghurs as “lazy persons” in need of “thought education”, reminiscent of the darkest periods of recent history.
As many democracies attempt to re-engage with Beijing, this report serves as a stark reminder that the nature of the Party-State has not changed, together with its abhorrent behaviour towards minorities and dissidents.
We call for legislation sufficient to keep slave-made goods off our shelves. Governments have a solemn responsibility to protect our citizens and businesses from complicity in forced labour, and must insist upon minimum standards of supply chain transparency and human rights due diligence to ensure that we do not continue to profit from the suffering of ethnic minorities in China.
Signed:
Fatmir Mediu MP, Albania
Rep. Samuel Cogolati, Belgium
Senator Pavel Fischer, Czechia
Eva Decroix, Czechia
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP, European Union
Miriam Lexmann MEP, European Union
Senator André Gattolin, France
Constance Le Grip MP, France
Boris Mijatović MdB, Germany
Dovilė Šakalienė MP, Lithuania
Žygimantas Pavilionis MP, Lithuania
Tom van der Lee MP, The Netherlands
Sjoerd Sjoerdsma MP, The Netherlands
Simon O’Connor MP, New Zealand
Ingrid Leary MP, New Zealand
Antonio Miloshoski, North Macedonia
Guri Melby MP, Norway
Alexandru Muraru MP, Romania
Cătălin Teniță MP, Romania
Elisabet Lann, Sweden
Joar Forssell MP, Sweden
Fabian Molina MP, Switzerland
Oleksandr Merezhko, Ukraine
Mykola Kniazhytskyi, Ukraine
Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, United Kingdom
Baroness (Helena) Kennedy KC, United Kingdom
