Australia accused of being slow to respond to human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region because of fears of trade sanctions
The Australian government has left the door open to toughening up the nation’s laws against modern slavery amid concerns about human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region.
Officials also revealed at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that the government was in regular discussions “with all China-facing businesses” and had used those conversations to highlight the risks of forced labour in supply chains from Xinjiang.
Related: ‘We will respond in kind’: China’s ambassador warns Australia not to join Xinjiang sanctions
Related: Home affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo urged to ‘tone it down’ after ‘drums of war’ speech
Continue reading…This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.