WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, asked about exports of products made by Uighurs and other Muslim groups in camps in China, said the United States would “strongly enforce” U.S. laws banning the import of goods made by forced labor.
Lighthizer said a Phase 1 trade deal with China did not cover the issue, but existing U.S. law prevented the import of any products made through the use of forced labor.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign legislation calling for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for oppressing Uighur Muslims, a source familiar with the matter said last week.
The United Nations estimates that more than a million Muslims have been detained in camps in China’s Xinjiang province.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Chris Reese)
