Ottawa says it's "deeply concerned" by reports of repression of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities by Chinese authorities
OTTAWA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Canada joined Britain on Tuesday in announcing steps to ban the import of goods it said were made by Chinese forced labor in the Xinjiang region, a move likely to exacerbate tension with Beijing.
In a statement, Ottawa said it was "deeply concerned" by reports of repression of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities by Chinese authorities and urged businesses with links to Xinjiang region to examine their supply chains.
Canada will prohibit goods produced wholly or in part by forced labor and require companies operating in Xinjiang to acknowledge the human rights situation in the region. Earlier in the day, Britain announced similar measures.
Last month, the United States expanded economic pressure on Xinjiang, banning cotton imports from an organization it says uses the forced labor of detained Uighur Muslims.
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa was not immediately available for comment.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and David Gregorio)
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