In swipe at China, EU moves to ban goods made using forced labor

Beijing likely to react angrily to 'protectionist' measures

A cotton harvester works in the field in Hami in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Oct. 9, 2020. Europe is proposing a ban on all goods made using forced labor, in light of alleged force labor practices in the Chinese region. (Source photos by AP)

CATHERINE DE BEAUREPAIRE, Nikkei staff writer

September 14, 2022 23:20 JST

Updated on September 15, 2022 04:16 JST

BRUSSELS -- Driven by concerns about the human rights situation in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed a ban on all goods made using forced labor.

The proposed legislation states that the prohibition "should apply to products for which forced labor has been used at any stage of their production, manufacture, harvest and extraction, including working or processing related to the products."