Commentary: World needs to stand up against evil U.S. law on "forced labor"

Editor's note: This week Xinhua is releasing a series of five commentaries about the United States' "forced labor" accusations against China, and the following is the fifth and last piece.

BEIJING, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Unilateral sanctions against China, Chinese companies or individuals don't conform with international law, and constitute unilateral coercive measures.

This conclusion didn't come from any Chinese official statement, but was drawn by Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, following her 12-day fact-finding trip to China, mainly in the northwestern autonomous region of Xinjiang.

Of the six cities Douhan inspected to find the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, four are in Xinjiang, which have been "particularly affected" by Washington's unilateral moves taken under the pretext of fighting the evil practice of "forced labor."

However, it is the United States itself that turns out to be practicing evil in the name of good, which has been made possible by the so-called "Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act" adopted in December 2021. With this "powerful legal weapon" in hand, the U.S. government has taken a series of actions targeting innocent people and businesses in and outside of Xinjiang, resulting in not only job losses and business closures in the region, but also market distortions and supply chain disruptions across the world.

According to this U.S. law, all businesses with any possible links to Xinjiang must provide credible evidence that their goods are not made with forced labor, otherwise they will face a thorough import ban.

Such a practice, as pointed out by Douhan's report, applies "the presumption of guilty (high risk) of existence of any nexus to Xinjiang at any stage of supply chain" and violates the "fundamental principles of international law." Ironically, the United States has always taken great pride in its legal system, which endorses the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial.

In the broader picture of U.S. sanctions against China, over 1,300 Chinese entities and individuals have been incorporated into the U.S. sanctions regimes or put on the entity list since 2017. Only a slight portion of them were able to find an exit as the relevant process is "extremely long and costly" and there is also a "lack of transparency."

Some cases cited in Douhan's report show that "10,000 pages of documents with data concerning its personnel to challenge the allegations of forced labor" are still deemed "insufficient" as proof of innocence.

China, which is seen by Washington as an archrival it would stop at nothing to contain, has been a primary target of U.S. sanctions in recent years. However, far more countries and people than one could ever imagine have been affected by the wanton and unjustified punishment and coercion exercised by the United States, mostly unilaterally and often regardless of international law.

It has been reported that presently a quarter of the world suffers directly from U.S. sanctions, as Washington appears to be increasingly addicted to the use of sanctions, rather than diplomacy or persuasion, to pursue its agenda and impose its will upon others.

In 2022 alone, the Biden administration issued a record number of nearly 2,500 sanctions, up from 883 in the previous year and averaging 1,688 per year. In comparison, the Trump administration averaged 1,027 sanctions a year, as against 533 for the Obama administration and 435 for the Bush administration.

Faced with this alarming and worsening situation, the world has reached a point where it must question: Who gave the United States such seemingly infinite power to act at will? And if everyone simply remains docile and keeps silent, who can guarantee that they themselves won't become Washington's next target and prey?

In her report, Douhan called on the UN human rights treaty bodies to start reviewing cases related to sanctions concerning violations of human rights caused by unilateral sanctions. She emphasized that these reviews should be incorporated into their reports and addressed through individual submissions.

In history, there were cases where even the close allies of the United States bravely fought back against Washington's coercion. In the 1990s, in response to the notorious Helms-Burton Act aimed at cutting off global trade with Cuba, the European Union passed the Blocking Statute to neutralize through legislation the effects of U.S. long-arm jurisdiction within the regional bloc.

Over the last few years, such revolts have become more common across the globe, with a rapidly-rising and increasingly-confident Global South often saying no to Washington's directives or intimidations. Some media reports have also taken notice of a "rush to de-dollarization" that is gaining unprecedented momentum.

This should serve as a stern warning and wake-up call for those arrogant U.S. politicians. It's time for them to realize that sanctions and coercions are more of a display of weakness and anxiety than of strength and confidence. Such evil practices are also a double-edged sword which can not only shed innocent blood, but also cut its wielders badly, depriving them of any moral appeal or true allies.