Katko on UN Report on China Human Rights Violations

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement on the United Nations’ long-awaited report citing China for committing serious human rights violations against the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.

“Despite taking far too long, the United Nations (UN) has finally come to the conclusion that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has committed flagrant human rights violations. These atrocities can no longer be overlooked. China will stop at nothing to reach its aggressive geopolitical goals and will continue committing serious human rights violations until the international community stands up to them. We had an opportunity to do so earlier this year but instead elevated the CCP on the global stage by allowing the country to host the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

“We must be clear-eyed in our approach to the CCP by recognizing that failure to stand up to them now will only contribute further to their goals of eroding international norms and our long-held values to suit Beijing’s interests. It’s past time for President Biden to step up and lead the international community in countering this authoritarian regime’s pattern of atrocities and multifaceted, decades-long campaign to undermine our security and way of life. The CCP represents the greatest threat to the homeland and economic security of not only the United States but all democratic nations. Proper implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed into law earlier this year, will be a vital tool to hold the CCP accountable, as well as any companies that choose to rely on goods made artificially cheap by forced labor in the Xinjiang Province that blatantly violates human rights standards.

“Unfortunately, this is another instance in which President Biden’s reckless border policies will have a dire effect. The President’s failure to secure the border significantly hinders one of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) oldest missions to ensure the economic security of the United States. Every day that the Biden administration takes CBP officers away from their primary duties to deal with the crisis on the Southwest border, the administration eliminates the officers’ ability to enforce vital customs laws, preventing goods produced by widespread forced labor from entering U.S. markets.”

Read more about the importance to U.S. homeland security of proper implementation of the UFLPA here.

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