Xinjiang import ban applied prejudice

The US administration is reportedly mulling bans on imports of products from Northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region alleging that they are produced with forced labor. The move, if it materializes, will no doubt ratchet up tensions over the already troubled bilateral ties and meet strong opposition from Beijing.

According to a Reuters report, the US Customs and Border Protection action, which was initially to be announced on Tuesday but postponed to later this week, will target cotton and tomato, two major commodities produced in the region, along with five other exports.

The US administration has repeatedly made unfounded allegations about human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and the impending ban lays bare its intention to not only use the ban as part of its selective decoupling and reshoring efforts but also its intention to ramp up such claims to denigrate the Communist Party of China.