Signing the Forced Labor Prevention Act today, 79-year-old President Joe Biden declared economic war against China, restricting goods and service from Xinjiang, China where the U.S. alleges that China engages in genocide against the Muslim Uyghur population. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said Biden’s act “indicates that the U.S. has no scruples about smearing China by every means,” referring to U.S. allegations of genocide against the Muslim Uyghurs. Wang blasted the U.S. government for interfering with global commerce, something bound to create a trade war far worse than anything under former President Donald Trump. “The relevant actions seriously undermine the principles of market economy and international economic and trade rules, and serious damage the interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises,” said Wang, promising retaliation.
Since the March 18 Anchorage, Alaska summit, the Biden White House has been at odds with China about its treatment of Muslim Uyghurs. China insists that there’s no genocide of Muslim Uyghurs, saying that re-education camps are designed to help train otherwise unskilled workers to fit into China’s industrial economy. U.S. officials accuse Beijing of mounting a brutal campaign of forced labor, using Uyghurs as slaves for China’s public and private industries. “China strongly deplores and rejects that and urges the U.S. to immediately correct its mistake. China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises,” Wang said in an ominous statement. At the rate things are going, China could withdraw the U.S. ambassador, take other measures to punish the U.S. for applying economic sanctions against Beijing.
Under the Forced Labor Prevention Act, the U.S. government bans all goods and service presumed to occur with forced labor, something China denies in the strongest possible terms. Darren Byler, assistant professor in international studies at Canada’s Simon Fraser University, says that factory work has been associated with forced labor camps in Xinjiang province. “They’re living in reality un-free conditions,” Byler said, insisting Xyghurs work against their will, often separated from their families and not allowed to freely practice their Muslim faith. Announcing new sanctions on China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, the Commerce Department hopes to crack down on Beijing. But in taking such aggressive actions, the Biden White House takes a huge risk of destabilizing the world order. China’s politburo could concoct retaliatory sanctions on U.S. companies doing business in China.
Biden’s crusade against Russia and China has already backfired, alienating the European Union [EU] where the 27-nation economic bloc wants no part of the boycott on the Chinese Winter Games and new economic sanctions. Joining the Commerce Department, the Treasury Department announced boycotts on DJI, the world’s largest drone manufacturer, and seven other countries involved in biometric surveillance used against Muslim Uyghurs and other groups. Biden’s economic assault in Beijing runs the very real risk of retaliatory sanctions on U.S. companies, creating more problems in world supply chains, already impacting supply-and-demand, fueling the worst inflation in 39 years. Making spectacle out of China comes with a cost to large numbers of U.S. business wholly dependent on Chinese manufacturing. Biden hasn’t considered the consequences to his actions.
When it comes to alienating Russia and China, Biden deserves a medal, pushing the world closer to the brink. Whether he knows it or not, the EU wants no part of following Biden’s lead, knowing the consequences of punishing China economically. When you consider the big picture, something Biden has a hard time doing, China is a far more valuable trading partner than the Muslim Uyghur population, a group that has morbid curiosity to the Western world, realizing that the ancient Turkic tribe falls today within China’s sovereignty. Whatever problems China has with Muslim ethnic minorities in Western China, Biden isn’t about to change how Beijing cracks down on rebellious groups inside their borders. China vowed “resolute countermeasures” to respond to Biden’s latest economic assault on China, but, more importantly, the global hazing from unsightly accusations.
Biden has done a masterful job of destroying U.S.-China and U.S.-Russian relations, all because his administration thinks the EU or ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Countries], backs the insanity of provoking China into a trade war or worse yet, a shooting war. Whatever China does to contain uncooperative groups inside its borders, where does the U.S. think it has a right to humiliate a superpower with growing clout around the world? Biden’s sanctions against China have no real backing in the EU or ASEAN countries, unwilling to rock the boat with the world’s most prolific manufacturing power. Since taking office, Biden has pushed the world closer to the brink, launching a fake human rights crusade that panders to the liberal press and woke crowd looking to pick a fight with Russia and China. Embarrassing China publicly won’t help Muslim Uyghur in Xinjiang Province.
