British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday announced the new measures, which according to the Foreign Office are intended to ensure that all British organizations “are not complicit in, or benefit from, human rights violations in Xinjiang”. “
The UK government will also review which UK products can be exported to Xinjiang, issuing new guidelines “setting out the specific risks facing companies with links to Xinjiang … highlighting the challenges of effective prudential research there.”
Beijing has long defended the repression in Xinjiang as necessary to tackle extremism and terrorism, claiming that its facilities are voluntary ‘training centers’ where people learn professional skills, Chinese language and laws.
“The evidence of the magnitude and seriousness of the human rights violations committed against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang is now far-reaching,” Raab told lawmakers. He said the new measures were intended to “send a clear message that this violation of human rights is unacceptable, and to protect British businesses and public bodies from any involvement or connection with it.”
Raab also calls on the United Nations to have access to the Xinjiang region to verify allegations of forced labor and other human rights violations.