The UN called the accusations against the Chinese of crimes against humanity in relation to Turkic-speaking minorities in Xinjiang “credible.” But the new European instrument is difficult to apply. Taiwan asks the EU to sanction China. Beijing “frustrates” the visit to Taipei of the head of the European 007.
Brussels () – The European Commission today proposed to ban goods produced by forced labour. The measure, which must be approved by the EU Parliament and Council before coming into force, is not officially aimed at specific countries or industries, but has a clear target: China.
The Commission has made this decision a few months after the denunciation of the majority of MEPs, who asked the Union to provide a tool to respond to the human rights abuses committed by the Chinese government in the autonomous region of Xinjiang.
In a report published on August 31, the UN Human Rights Agency said that allegations by experts, humanitarian groups and international media outlets that Beijing commits crimes against humanity against Islamic-speaking minorities were “credible.” Turkish living in Xinjiang. One of the abuses attributed to Beijing is having imprisoned almost two million citizens -mainly Uyghurs- in true concentration camps, forcing them to perform forced labor.
The Chinese deny all the accusations, stating that in Xinjiang there are vocational training centers and projects for poverty reduction and the fight against terrorism and separatism. In the United States, a law has been in force since June that prohibits imports from Xinjiang if no proof is presented that the goods in question do not come from forced labor.
The mechanism devised by the EU is less draconian: the burden of proof falls on European and national authorities, who can request access to information and data from importing companies. According to humanitarian activists, the tool will not be effective as it is conceived.
In any case, it will be enough to irritate the Chinese, who are waiting to see if the EU gives the green light to the directive, to protect the Union from commercial threats from an external country, as happened with Lithuania, which was commercially boycotted by China in retaliation for its opening to Taiwan.
For its part, Reuters reports that Taiwan is lobbying for the EU to adopt a sanctions package to “dissuade” China from invading the island, which the Chinese consider a “rogue” province. The news comes as controversy grows over Politico’s revelations that EU intelligence chief José Casimiro Morgado canceled a “secret” visit to Taipei when Beijing learned it was to take place.
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