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| Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks at UN headquarters in New York, Sept 12, 2019. (Photo by=XINHUA) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] Britain and Canada on Tuesday (Jan 12) accused China of human rights violations and "barbarism" against its Uighur minority and announced new rules to ban imports of goods suspected of being made using forced labor.
The abuses were "on an industrial scale", said British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, in strongly-worded comments that will do little to improve ties with Beijing strained by its crackdown in Hong Kong. "It is truly horrific barbarism we had hoped lost to another era, in practice today as we speak, in one of the leading members of the international community," he told parliament."We have a moral duty to respond."The measures also include a strengthening of the UK's Modern Slavery Act to introduce fines for businesses not complying with transparency rules, extending the act to the public sector, and an "urgent review" of export controls around Xinjiang.
China's ambassador to the United Nations responded by warning Britain not to interfere in its affairs. Raab outlined plans to bar British companies from government contracts if they inadvertently or deliberately profit from, or contribute to, human rights violations against the Uighurs in Xinjiang province, northwest China. The move stands in contrast to a December trade deal between the European Union and China, which approved major investment and opened up the Chinese market to the 27-member bloc.
