[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Eun-byeol] On the 13th (local time), the United States announced that the Group of Seven (G7) agreed to eliminate forced labor from global supply chains and mentioned the Xinjiang region of China.
The White House stated in a briefing document that "the United States and G7 partner countries are deeply concerned about all forms of forced labor used in global supply chains," adding, "The most concerning area is Xinjiang, China."
The White House explained, "We are deeply concerned about the use of all forms of forced labor in global supply chains, especially state-sponsored forced labor involving vulnerable or minority groups, as well as in sectors such as agriculture, solar energy, and apparel."
It continued, "G7 leaders agree on the importance of human rights and international labor standards and have committed to efforts to protect individuals from forced labor," and stated, "We welcome the G7 partners' commitment to ensuring that forced labor is not used in any global supply chains."
The White House also said that the G7 will announce a joint response to forced labor in global supply chains, as well as to corruption and ransomware. The White House noted, "Ransomware is a global challenge with increasing scale and sophistication of threats," and added, "In recent weeks, there have been significant cyber intrusions affecting critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and hospitals in many G7 and other countries."
Furthermore, it urged, "Transnational criminal enterprises are utilizing money laundering networks such as cryptocurrencies," and called on the international community to cooperate in investigating and prosecuting malicious cyber activities in response to threats to critical infrastructure."
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