"This is not a partisan issue. It is a human rights issue. It is a moral issue," Jim McGovern, the sponsor of the bill and a longtime human rights advocate, said on the House floor.

Amid allegations of the Biden administration opposing the bill, State Department spokesman Ned Price said: "We do not oppose this. We are not lobbying against it." Price maintained that the administration "has perhaps done more than any administration and really galvanized the international community to put a spotlight on what has taken place in Xinjiang."

Uyghur organisations have applauded the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics.

The bill now heads to the Senate. The White House hasn't said whether the president backs the bill, but added he shares concerns about forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region, US media reported.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)