Today the Foreign Secretary has announced a package of
measures to help ensure that British organisations, whether
public or private sector, are not complicit in, nor profiting
from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Evidence of gross human rights violations including
extra-judicial detention and forced labour has been growing,
including proof from the Chinese authorities' own government
documents. The UK Government has repeatedly called on China to
end these practices, and uphold its national laws and
international obligations.
The measures are designed to send a clear signal to China
that these violations are unacceptable.
The UK Government is announcing a review into which UK
products can be exported to Xinjiang and the introduction of
financial penalties for businesses that do not comply with the
Modern Slavery Act. Further measures include increasing support
for UK public bodies to exclude businesses complicit in human
rights violations from their supply chains. Together these
measures will help UK organisations ensure that they are not
contributing to the abuse of the Uyghur Muslims in
Xinjiang.
Coordinated international action is needed to address the
risk of forced labour entering global supply chains, and the UK
is working closely with its partners on this issue. Today, Canada
will make a parallel announcement of measures to help ensure
Canadian businesses are not complicit in forced labour in
Xinjiang.
The Foreign Secretary said:
“The evidence of the scale and severity of the human
rights violations being perpetrated in Xinjiang against the
Uyghur Muslims is now far reaching. Today we are announcing a
range of new measures to send a clear message that these
violations of human rights are unacceptable, and to safeguard UK
businesses and public bodies from any involvement or linkage with
them.
“This package will help make sure that no British
organisations, Government or private sector, deliberately or
inadvertently, profit from or contribute to the human rights
violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities in
Xinjiang.”
The Home Secretary said:
"Britain will always stand up for
those suffering dreadful human rights abuses and today we are
bringing forward measures which will help protect the minority
populations in Xinjiang.
"Businesses and public bodies must
be more vigilant than ever before and ensure they are not
inadvertently allowing forced labour in their supply
chains."
The Trade Secretary
said:
"These new measures demonstrate that we will not turn a
blind eye nor tolerate complicity in the human rights abuses
taking place in Xinjiang.
"Forced labour, anywhere in the world, is unacceptable.
This Government wants to work with businesses to support
responsible practices, and ensure British consumers are not
unwittingly buying products that support the cruelty we are
witnessing against the Uyghurs and other minorities in
Xinjiang."
Specifically, the measures include:
· A review of export controls as they apply to
Xinjiang to ensure the Government is doing all it can to prevent
the exports of goods that may contribute to human rights abuses
in the region. This review will determine which additional
specific products will be subject to export controls in
future.
· The introduction of financial penalties for
organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to
publish annual modern slavery statements, under the Modern
Slavery Act.
· New, robust and detailed guidance to UK
business setting out the specific risks faced by companies with
links to Xinjiang and underlining the challenges of effective due
diligence there.
· The Government will provide guidance and
support for all UK public bodies to use public procurement rules
to exclude suppliers where there is sufficient evidence of human
rights violations in supply chains. Compliance will be mandatory
for central government, non-departmental bodies and executive
agencies
· A Minister led campaign of business
engagement to reinforce the need for UK businesses to take action
to address the risk.
The UK, working with partners including Canada, has led
international action to hold China to account for their actions
in Xinjiang, supported research which has built the evidence base
for action, and urged UK business to conduct robust due diligence
to ensure its supply chains are free of forced labour. The UK has
led international joint statements on Xinjiang in the UN General
Assembly Third Committee and the UN Human Rights Council,
including bringing forward the latest statement which was
supported by 39 countries, together with Germany, in October last
year. The UK was also the first country to require companies by
law to report on modern slavery in their supply chains. Canada
and the UK’s approach will help to defend the rights of
Uyghurs.
