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MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION (2020/2913(RSP))

On forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

B-9-2020-0436

on behalf of the PPE Group · Rapporteur: Michael Gahler, Miriam Lexmann, Isabel WiselerLima, David McAllister, Radosław Sikorski, Paulo Rangel, Andrzej Halicki, Peter van Dalen, Tomáš Zdechovský, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, Vladimír Bilčík, Inese Vaidere, David Lega, Christian Sagartz, Tomas Tobé, Krzysztof Hetman, Romana Tomc, Magdalena Adamowicz, Ivan Štefanec, Esther de Lange, Loucas Fourlas, Benoît Lutgen, Janina Ochojska, Eva Maydell, Luděk Niedermayer, Jiří Pospíšil, Stanislav Polčák, Stelios Kympouropoulos, Michaela Šojdrová, Peter Pollák

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Parliament's resolution on forced labour and the situation of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region condemns the suppression of Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Tibetans and demands an end to arbitrary detention and forced labour. It calls on China to release detainees, close camps, free Ilham Tohti, allow access for journalists and UN investigators, and ratify the ILO forced labour conventions and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It urges the EU and member states to ban imports of cotton and cotton products from Xinjiang, to introduce due diligence legislation, and to consider targeted sanctions on officials responsible for the crackdown. It supports the forthcoming EU-US Dialogue on China and calls for greater coordination among democracies on sanctions and other measures.

Key points

  1. Parliament is deeply concerned about the suppressive regime facing Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other minorities, and deplores the worsening human rights situation in mainland China and Hong Kong.
  2. It calls on Chinese authorities to give information on detainees' locations and health, release them if there is no evidence of crime, end arbitrary detention, close all camps and detention centres, and release those held.
  3. It reiterates the call to allow free and unhindered access to Xinjiang for journalists and international observers, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Procedures mandate holders.
  4. It calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Ilham Tohti, regular access to family and lawyers, and an impartial investigation into his alleged torture.
  5. It urges the EU and member states to impose an import ban on cotton and cotton products originating from Xinjiang and to set up effective control mechanisms against Uyghur forced labour.
  6. It calls on the EU and member states to ensure companies do not profit from forced labour in their supply chains, and urges the Commission to urgently introduce due diligence legislation.
  7. It urges the Chinese government to release full details of disappeared persons in Xinjiang to their families.
  8. It urges China to ratify the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105).
  9. It urges China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
  10. It calls on the Council to consider targeted sanctions on officials responsible for the crackdown in Xinjiang and other human rights violations in mainland China and Hong Kong.
  11. It reiterates support for the forthcoming EU-US Dialogue on China, urges human rights to feature prominently, and calls for greater coordination among democracies on sanctions and other measures.

Who is affected

  • Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Tibetans in Xinjiang, who face arbitrary detention, forced labour and restrictions on religion and culture.
  • Ilham Tohti, Uyghur scholar and Sakharov Prize 2019 winner, whose release and access to family and lawyers is demanded.
  • EU companies and supply chains, especially in textiles, apparel and footwear, which may be linked to Uyghur forced labour.
  • Chinese officials responsible for the crackdown in Xinjiang, who may face targeted EU sanctions.
  • China, which is asked to ratify ILO conventions and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and to allow access to Xinjiang.

Figures and deadlines

  • “from tens of thousands to upwards of a million Uyghurs” held in extrajudicial detention according to estimates cited by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
  • “more than 380 suspected detention facilities newly built or expanded since 2017”
  • “at least 61 detention sites newly constructed or expanded between July 2019 and July 2020”
  • “at least 80,000 Uyghurs and other Turkic muslims” transferred out of Xinjiang for forced labour under the “Xinjiang Aid” policy
  • “27 factories in nine Chinese provinces” identified as using Uyghur labour transferred from Xinjiang
  • “more than 20 percent of the world’s cotton” produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region