China has detained Uyghurs at camps in the northwest region of Xinjiang, where there have been allegations of torture, forced labor and sexual abuse. The Chinese government claims the camps carry out “re-education” to combat terrorism.
“Without a forced labor screening regime, the U.K. is fast becoming a dumping ground and potentially a re-export market for goods made with Uyghur forced labor,” said Sam Goodman of the hawkish China Strategic Risks Institute think tank.
“The U.K. should have no direct imports from the Uyghur region,” warned Chloe Cranston, a supply chain expert at Anti-Slavery International.
“Due to the scale of the persecution and the systematic nature of state-imposed forced labor across the Uyghur region, we have to presume all products made in the Uyghur region, whether factory or farm, are very likely made with Uyghur forced labor,” she added.
New airfreight routes connecting Xinjiang to the U.K. show a “critical need for import controls,” Cranston added.
The U.K. government needs to take forced labor seriously, Alton said. “It’s like semaphore. It’s all dependent on the signals you send.”