Sources: Nike Seeks To Weaken Bill Meant To Limit Forced Labor

Nike is among the "major companies and business groups lobbying Congress to weaken a bill that would ban imported goods made with forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region," according to congressional staff members and sources cited by Ana Swanson of the N.Y. TIMES. The legislation, called the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, "would prohibit broad categories of certain goods made by persecuted Muslim minorities in an effort to crack down on human rights abuses." The bill has "gained bipartisan support." Nike Dir of Global Communications Greg Rossiter said that the company "'did not lobby against' the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act but instead had 'constructive discussions' with congressional staff aides aimed at eliminating forced labor and protecting human rights." Nike also said that its Qingdao factory had "stopped hiring new workers from Xinjiang" in '19 and that an "independent audit confirmed there were no longer employees from there at the facility" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/30).