BEIJING 鈥 The U.S. government said Tuesday it is reviewing reports of forced labor at a Chinese detention camp where ethnic minorities must give up their religion and language and may be subject to political indoctrination.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement that reporting by The Associated Press and other media 鈥渇or the first time appears to link the internment camps identified in Western China to the importation of goods produced by forced labor by a U.S. company.鈥
The AP tracked shipments from a factory in a detention camp in China鈥檚 Xinjiang region to Badger Sportswear in North Carolina. The company ships clothing to universities, colleges and schools around the United States.
Following the reports, Badger said it had suspended business with the Chinese supplier and was investigating.
The Washington-based Workers Rights Consortium, which has agreements with many educational institutions to make sure products they sell on campus are ethically manufactured, said that 鈥渇orced labor of any kind is a severe violation of university codes of conduct.鈥
It鈥檚 against U.S. law to import products of forced labor. Customs and Border Protection said it is part of its mission to enforce 鈥渂oth laws to protect individuals from forced labor and our Nation鈥檚 economy from businesses profiting from this form of modern slavery.鈥 /kga