To address concerns about China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the cotton-producing Xinjiang region, the United States and Japan have formed a task force to protect human rights in supply chains.
The trade officials of the two countries signed an MoU for launching a task force to ensure that supply chains comply with human rights and international labor standards. The two countries also invited other countries to join hands in this cause. A roundtable was also hosted with Japanese businessmen to prevent the use of unethical labor treatments in supply chains.
They also invited other governments to join them and hosted a roundtable with Japanese business representatives on preventing the use of forced labor in supply chains. The representatives of the two governments conceded that Japan and the US cannot accomplish this task alone and they need partners from relevant stakeholders like workers’ organizations, businesses, and civil society to ensure a lasting and effective change. They appealed to all stakeholders and all governments to safeguard the dignity of workers around the globe.
According to reports over a million imprisoned Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region are allegedly forced to work as labor in the cotton industry. The task force would meet twice a year and will be composed of the two signatories of the MOU and officials of the Japanese foreign ministry as well as officials of the US Departments of Labor, Commerce, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and the Department of State.
