Xinjiang
September 10, 2021
(Washington)—Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) today released a letter to Steven Kolb, Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and Ari Emanuel, Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor Group Holdings, asking them to affirm that exhibitors at New York Fashion Week do not use cotton from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and to prohibit any company or designer supporting the use of XUAR cotton from exhibiting now and in the future.
June 8, 2021
(Washington)—Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China, in a statement today urged Apple CEO Tim Cook to transparently engage with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to ensure that Apple’s supply chains are free of forced labor and to divest from Chinese suppliers who take part in the Chinese government’s “labor transfer” programs, particularly from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Apple has stated that they found no evidence of forced labor anywhere they operate.
June 1, 2021
(Washington)—Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China released today a letter sent to National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) President Chris Paul and Executive Director Michele Roberts concerning the contracts between NBA players and Chinese sportswear companies Anta, Li-Ning, and Peak. These companies have all affirmed that they use cotton produced in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of China.
(Washington, D.C.)— Members of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) will conduct a press conference with Campaign for Uyghurs to highlight the case of Dr. Gulshan Abbas, who was reportedly given a harsh 20 year prison sentence, and other crimes against humanity occurring in the People’s Republic of China. Members of Congress and Campaign for Uyghurs believe the sentencing of Dr. Abbas is likely retaliation for the efforts of her sister (Rushan Abbas) and brother (Dr. Rishat Abbas) to publicize the mass internment and other atrocities occurring in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
December 8, 2020
(Washington)—Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China sent letters to the Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of both Intel Corporation and NVIDIA seeking additional information about the sale of advanced computer chips helping to power a supercomputer used by People’s Republic of China (PRC) security forces to conduct mass surveillance and other human rights abuses against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other predominately Muslim ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
August 14, 2020
(Washington)—Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China sent a letter to World Bank President David R. Malpass, seeking additional information about the $50 million World Bank “vocational education” project loan made to the Department of Education of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
July 10, 2020
(Washington, D.C)—Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) issued the following statement following the announcement of Global Magnitsky sanctions for Chinese government officials in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
July 2, 2020
(Washington, D.C)—Representative James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asking for a strong response to evidence of forced sterilizations and coercive measures being used to curtail family size among ethnic Uyghurs and Kazakhs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).