Washington - US January 5, ANI The White House has urged private companies to oppose the human rights abuses and genocide by China in Xinjiang.
This comes after Tesla, a US-based vehicle manufacturer, opened a showroom in the region of China, according to Kyodo News.
At a news conference, Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary, said private sector companies that don't address forced labor and human rights abuses within their supply chains face serious legal, reputational, and customer risk, both internationally and in the US.
I can't speak to the specific situation of a company, but we believe that the private sector should oppose the PRC's human rights abuses and genocide in Xinjiang, Psaki said.
The administration of President Joe has decided on a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics next month in a show of protest over China's human rights abuses.
In December of this year, the president enacted a bill banning all imports from Xinjiang due to concerns over forced labor there.
Psaki said that companies failing to address forced labor in supply chains face serious legal, reputational and customer risk and that the international community cannot look the other way when it comes to what is taking place in Xinjiang.
According to media reports, Tesla has begun operations in a showroom in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. This has drawn widespread criticism.
In February of last year, the US became the first country in the world to declare Chinese actions in Xinjiang as genocide. Both the Canadian and Dutch parliaments adopted motions recognizing the Uyghur crisis as genocide.