The American business community is determined not to comment on the crackdown in Xinjiang — atrocities the U.S. government has deemed a genocide. But how long can their silence last?
Listen to SupChina editor-at-large and Sinica podcast host Kaiser Kuo read this article.
About halfway through the four-hour confirmation hearing for Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of State, Senator Lindsey Graham let out a sigh of relief. Earlier that day — the last full day of Donald Trump’s presidency — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called China’s actions against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region a genocide. It was a significant announcement — this is only the sixth time in history the U.S. has determined a genocide is taking place — and Senator Graham, an ally of the Trump administration, was testing Blinken on whether or not he agreed with the designation.
“That would be my judgment as well,” Blinken said. “You do agree?” Graham asked again. “Yes,” said Blinken, unflinchingly.
“We’re off to a good start here,” Graham then said, laughing. Later on in the hearings, Blinken explain
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Brands have long relied on social auditing companies to monitor their supply chains in China. But between the industry’s own flaws and a changing political environment in China, many say these reports aren't reliable. With the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act now going into effect, this lack of trust in the industry leaves many global companies — and those hoping to hold them accountable — in a tricky spot.
A key figure in the Trump administration, the former reporter and Marine talks about the reality of the Chinese Communist Party's ambitions, the value of concrete actions vs. rhetoric, how Xi was flummoxed by Trump,...
