US to block key exports from China

The US is expected to block key exports from China’s Xinjiang region due to allegations that they are produced using forced labor.

According to the international news agency, bans have been imposed on key exports of products including cotton and tomato, which are two of the major commodity exports in China.

China has recently increased security in Xinjiang, citing a threat of separatism and terrorism.

According to the international news agency BBC, The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is currently preparing Withhold Release

Orders which allows it to detain shipments based on suspicions of forced labor involvement.

Earlier this year, US lawmakers have proposed legislation that would claim that all goods produced in Xinjiang were made with forced labor.

“We have reasonable but not conclusive evidence that there is a risk of forced labor in supply chains related to cotton textiles and tomatoes coming out of Xinjiang,” CBP Executive Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith told Reuters in an interview.

“We will continue to work our investigations to fill in those gaps,” she added.

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