CBP Regional Cotton Ban
The Uyghur American Association (UAA) praises U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for issuing a Withhold Release Order (WRO) against all cotton and tomato products produced in East Turkistan (Xinjiang). Following this order, all cotton and tomato products produced in East Turkistan will be prohibited from entering the U.S. The UAA appeals to U.S. allies to take similar, robust actions that hold the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) accountable for their unspeakable crimes.
East Turkistan produces over 20% of the world’s cotton. Some of the world’s highest quality cotton comes from East Turkistan’s southern region. Along with cotton, China leads the world in tomato paste exports, made with tomatoes largely grown in East Turkistan. Cotton, tomatoes, and other commodities have long been suspected of being grown and harvested with Uyghur forced labor. These and other forced labor products have been bought and sold throughout the world, including in the U.S., with impunity.
Today’s WRO follows a number of significant actions the U.S. government has taken to hold the CCP accountable for the ongoing genocide it is perpetrating against the Uyghurs in East Turkistan. On December 2, 2020, CBP issued a WRO banning all cotton products produced by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC; known locally as the bingtuan) from entering the U.S. Earlier this year, the Treasury Department sanctioned the XPCC and cuplrits of the Uyghur genocide, including Communist Party Secretary of Xinjiang Chen Quanguo, the architect of the concentration camp system that has locked up millions of innocent Uyghurs since 2017. In July, the U.S. government issued an advisory cautioning businesses about the risks of forced labor in East Turkistan.
The UAA echoes the demands of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli and others to the CCP: close the concentration camps and stop the genocide immediately. In addition, the UAA urges companies to immediately cut ties with suppliers in East Turkistan and sign the Call to Action from the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region. The UAA will continue to work with its partners to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act as soon as possible when re-introduced in the U.S. Congress.
