China condemns tariff abuses under the pretext of “forced labour”
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
China delivered a joint statement on behalf of a group of nearly 20 countries at the 62nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on Thursday, to expose and condemn the hegemonic practice of unilateral tariffs under the pretext of “forced labour.”
The joint statement was delivered by Jia Guide, China’s permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland.
The joint statement pointed out that the eradication of poverty hinges on safeguarding everyone’s right to work and the right to development. “We firmly oppose forced labour. At the same time, we are also seriously concerned about, and firmly oppose, the imposition of additional duties on other economies based on unilateral accusations alleging a failure to curb imports of goods produced with so-called forced labour,” the joint statement said.
The arbitrary imposition of tariffs under the guise of so-called anti-forced labour measures will only infringe upon the right to development and the right to decent work of hardworking workers. Such practices can only destabilize global industrial supply chains and undermine collective efforts to eradicate poverty, according to the joint statement.
The joint statement emphasized that China urges relevant countries to respect facts, refrain from politicizing trade issues and weaponizing human rights, uphold the international economic and trading order and contribute to global development through tangible actions.
The joint statement has received widespread support, with Russia, Pakistan, Venezuela, Sudan, Cambodia and other countries cosponsoring it, and many developing countries have echoed China’s position, Jia said.
Reference Link:- https://english.news.cn/20260626/84fe73ebeddd4eaeadd88d163fb54942/c.html
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
