European Union to ban products made using forced labour

The European Union said Wednesday it will impose a ban on products made from forced labour as China faces rising criticism that the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang region are being forced into slave labour.

The proposal by Brussels does not specifically mention China, but will instead focus on all products made from forced labour -- including those made within the bloc.

"Our aim is to eliminate all products made with forced labour from the EU market, irrespective of where they have been made," said the EU's trade commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis.