China is one of 13 countries with a ‘policy or pattern’ of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual slavery, or the use of child soldiers.
China remains one of the world’s leaders in human trafficking and forced labor as it persecutes Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups.
The State Department identified China as one of 13 countries with a “policy or pattern” of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual slavery, or the use of child soldiers. The list also includes Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Cuba, North Korea, and Belarus.
The list is part of the State Department’s newly released 2025 report on human trafficking around the world. China is also mentioned in the report for its exploitation of minority groups through forced labor, particularly the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, a region in the northwestern part of the country.
“In China, the Chinese Communist Party is exploiting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, ethnic Kyrgyz, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang through a government policy or pattern of widespread forced labor, including through mass arbitrary detentions,” the report reads.
“According to the [International Labor Organization], an estimated 17.4 million people are exploited in forced labor in the private economy, embedded in the supply chains of major industries such as agriculture, construction, and manufacturing,” the report continues. “Additionally, 3.9 million individuals are exploited by state-imposed forced labor in China and several other countries. These forms of exploitation generate an estimated $236 billion in illegal proceeds annually and, through complex supply chains, can connect legitimate companies and unknowing consumers to this human rights abuse,” the report reads.
China has reframed allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang under the banner of economic development. In a similar manner, China is using “poverty alleviation” programs to compel labor from Uyghurs and other groups, according to the State Department.
“China’s genocide of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang is a human trafficking nightmare under which hundreds of thousands of innocent people are arbitrarily imprisoned and forced into labor camps,” said John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
“Last year, China made billions of dollars off of these heinous acts. That’s why American companies must do more to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and make sure their supply chains are not using products made with forced labor.”
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act prevents the importation of goods made from forced labor in Xinjiang. The Trump administration is enhancing U.S. enforcement of the law with an updated strategy that adds five new sectors to its list of industries with heightened risk of abuse. China has 31 good listed on the Department of Labor’s tracker of good produced with child or forced labor. It is the most of any country and includes 21 goods tied to the Xinjiang region.
State’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report surveys the global human trafficking landscape and identifies ways to combat it. It was developed through information collected from U.S. embassies, government officials, nongovernmental organizations, academic studies, consultations with authorities, and other sources.