At the University of Kansas, a renowned expert released a report in the Journal of the National Human Rights Commission arguing the implementation of US trade sanctions in response to China’s alleged human rights abuses.
In the journal report, China’s alleged governmental actions toward Uyghur Muslims were described as potential genocide and may have resulted in human rights abuses. Thus, the decisions to ensue various trade sanctions were justified, the international trade law expert argued.
According to the international trade law expert, human rights and international trade are inextricably linked. And such sanctions are appropriate for future implementation.
“Most people think human rights are to be separated from trade. In fact, that’s not true,” said Raj Bhala, the journal report’s author in a news release.
“There are no express, comprehensive provisions for human rights in the World Trade Organization or General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, but we’re seeing the link come up in U.S. trade policy and some regional free trade agreements. We’re entering an era of invigorated enhancements of human rights through trade policy,” Bhala added.
“If we’ve learned nothing else, it’s that trade policy is national security policy is human rights policy. Our national security is based on our values. We express our values partly through who we decide to trade with, and the terms on which we trade with them. Trade is not only about trade.”
