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The House of Representatives unanimously passed a new version of a bill banning imports made in Xinjiang region of China, where the Uighur minority community has reportedly been subject to human rights abuses.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, also known as H.R. 6256, passed by voice vote on Tuesday evening after Republicans and Democrats agreed on a revised version of legislation that stripped out differences between the Senate and the House, according to Reuters.
Ethnic Uighur demonstrators take part in a protest against China, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 1, 2021. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya (REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya)
The bill will now head to the Senate, and President Biden has already expressed his support.
“The President welcomes the agreement by Congress on the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” the White House said in a statement Tuesday. “We agree with Congress that action can and must be taken to hold the People’s Republic of China accountable for genocide and human rights abuses and to address forced labor in Xinjiang.”
Wu Huan speaks during an interview in a safe house in the Ukraine on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Wu claims that she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run “black site” in Dubai along with at least two Uighurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a secret detention facility beyond its borders. . (AP Photo)
The statement from the White House continued: “The President also rallied the G7 to commit to ensure all global supply chains are free from the use of forced labor—including from Xinjiang. The Administration will work closely with Congress to implement this bill to ensure global supply chains are free of forced labor.”
The State Department earlier this year it was “deeply disturbed” by allegations that women in China’s “re-education” camps for Uyghurs were systematically raped and sexually abused, according to a report.
“These atrocities shock the conscience and must be met with serious consequences,” a State Department spokeswoman told Reuters.
FILE – Chinese President Xi Jinping stands in front of national flags of China and Republic of Congo during a meeting with visting Congolese dignitaries at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 5, 2016. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool, File) (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool, File)
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According to reports last year, up to three million Uighur Muslims in China’s western Xinjiang province have been plucked from their homes since 2017 by authorities and disappeared into prison camps, which the Chinese government terms “re-education” facilities.
Fox News’ David Aaro contributed to this report