UK sees off rebel MPs over ‘genocide’ amendment targeting China

LONDON — The U.K. government saw off an attempt from rebel MPs to hold Beijing to account for its treatment of Uighur Muslims through trade legislation.

The amendment to the Trade Bill, pushed by senior Tory MPs and campaigners, would have pressed the U.K. to terminate any trade deal if the other side was found by the British High Court to have committed genocide. It was narrowly defeated 319 votes to 308 Tuesday night.

The slight victory for the government came after intense lobbying from U.K. ministers, who argued trade policy should not be set by the courts.

Ahead of the vote, Conservative rebels leading the charge sought to highlight the U.S. State Department’s own declaration that the country’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim population in Xinjiang amounted to “genocide” and “crimes against humanity.”

China has been accused of forced labor abuses in Xinjiang, a major hub for global supply chains and source of much of the world’s cotton. Uighur campaigners and international experts say that China is seeking to control the Muslim population of Xinjiang through forced sterilizations, brain-washing in camps and destruction of mosques.