Joe Biden signed the “Accelerated Access to Vital Remedies for ALS Act” into law during a ceremony at the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex.
Highlight
- US President Joe Biden signed the “Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act” on Thursday.
- The act would ban the importation of goods into the US made of forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province.
- Biden also signed a separate bill Thursday for research into a treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease
US President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the “Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act”, which bans the import of goods into the US with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang province.
“On Thursday, December 23, 2021, the President signed into law: HR 6256, which bans imports from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) of the People’s Republic of China and on foreign persons responsible for forced labor in the region. bans,” the White House said in a press release. Earlier this month, the US Senate and House of Representatives passed the bill with overwhelming support.
The measure had to overcome some initial hesitation from the White House, as well as corporate opposition, in the Senate last week for final passage, following the previous House passage. Biden also signed a separate bill Thursday for research into a treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The law targets goods, goods, articles and merchandise imported directly from Xinjiang or made by Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Tibetans or members of other oppressed groups in China. It also requires Biden to ban officials responsible for persecuting minorities and facilitating the use of involuntary labor.
The US action comes in the backdrop of a growing campaign to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. The United States along with five other countries have already announced a diplomatic boycott of the Games in protest against China’s human rights abuses. Meanwhile, China has been denying allegations of bonded labor or assault on minority communities.
(with inputs from agencies)
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