Apple, Nike Lobby Against Cracking Down on Forced Labor Suppliers in China

LeBron James would be proud.

The New York Times reports that Apple, Nike, and Coca-Cola are among the many global companies and business groups lobbying Congress to weaken a bipartisan bill that cracks down on human rights abuses and forced labor in China.

"The bill also targets so-called poverty alleviation and pairing programs that ship Muslims from impoverished areas to work in factories elsewhere, which human rights groups say are often coercive."

For human rights supporters, the bill is great news. For companies that care about their bottom line first, it's terrible.

The legislation, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, bans imported goods from China’s Xinjiang region made with forced labor. In September, the House passed the bill 406 to 3. Aides say that it has the backing to pass in the Senate and that either the Trump or Biden administration could sign it into law.

Disclosure forms show that Apple paid Fierce Government Relations $90,000 to lobby on issues including Xinjiang-related legislation in the third quarter.