WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined a bipartisan group of her Senate colleagues in reintroducing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This bipartisan bill will help ensure that goods made with Uyghur forced labor in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) do not enter the United States. Earlier this year, the State Department issued a determination that the Chinese Communist Party is committing crimes against humanity and genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
“The United States cannot stand by as the Chinese Communist Party commits egregious human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other predominately Muslim individuals, and it is time that we take decisive actions to tamp down on these crimes,” Senator Hassan said. “This bipartisan legislation is an important step and would help ensure that products made by forced Uyghur labor will not end up on the shelves of American stores. I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to hold China accountable and bolster America’s response to human rights abuses across the globe.”
Last year, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation introduced by Senator Hassan that would require the U.S. to partner with allies in the Indo-Pacific region, Europe, and elsewhere to develop a unified approach to address the rise of China. In 2019, Senator Hassan participated in a congressional delegation to Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan to advance U.S. interests in this critical region and hold China accountable.
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