Today, Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives to advance two measures confronting the Chinese Communist Party’s human rights violations and oppression of the Uyghur people and other ethnic minorities.
“For more than three decades, we’ve seen the Chinese Communist Party accelerate a campaign of human rights abuses – from repression in Tibet and Hong Kong to genocide against the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang,” said Rep. Axne. “We have a duty and moral obligation to speak up for those who have been brutally repressed, and make it clear to China and to the world that we will not sit idly by. The legislation we passed today sends a direct message to Beijing: the crimes they have committed will have serious and palpable consequences.”
The trio of legislation passed by the House today impose penalties on the Chinese Communist Party for its human rights abuses:
- The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act: forced labor camps in China produce many everyday products consumed around the world, including cotton and yarn for clothing and minerals for cell phones. This legislation will counter the exploitation of forced labor, while holding perpetrators accountable, by:
- blocking imports produced with forced labor
- leveling sanctions against the perpetrators
- imposing disclosure requirements on companies engaging in Xinjiang
- A bipartisan resolution condemning the ongoing genocide being committed by the government of China against Uyghurs and other minority groups.
- A bipartisan resolution demanding the government of China immediately guarantee the safety and freedom of tennis star Peng Shuai, who was silenced after her allegations of sexual abuse and assault by a top Chinese Communist Party official.
On a bipartisan and bicameral basis, the United States Congress has regularly taken action against these crimes. The passage of this legislation builds on previous legislation by the Congress to counter crimes by the government of China, including passage of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act and the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019.
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