House, Senate Near Agreement on Uyghur Bill Aimed at China

(Bloomberg) -- Lawmakers in the House and Senate are close to agreement on legislation aimed at punishing China for the alleged oppression of the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, according to two people familiar with the discussions.

A deal would set up a potential vote on the legislation before the end of the year if Senate committees sign off and the measure can be squeezed into the schedule. Versions of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act have passed in the House and Senate, and lawmakers in both chambers have been working to iron out differences.

The House-passed version would require the U.S Department of Homeland Security to create a list of entities that collaborate with the Chinese government in the repression of the Uyghurs, a predominately Muslim ethnic minority as well as other groups. It also contains a “rebuttable presumption” that assumes all goods were made with forced labor unless the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection gives an exception.

The legislation is sure to add to tensions between the world’s two largest economies over human rights, trade and Taiwan.

Chinese officials have denied that forced labor is used in Xinjiang, a region in western China, and called the legislation interference with China’s domestic affairs.

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