The State Department on Tuesday issued a report labeling China as one of the worst human traffickers in the world for allowing modern slavery to thrive within its borders, a move Fox News is reporting as a signal the Trump administration is turning up the pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"China was downgraded to Tier 3 action in this year's report in part because it has not taken serious steps to end its own complicity in trafficking, including forced laborers from North Korea that are located in China," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
China has been pressured by the U.S. to rein in North Korea as it continues to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, but China has said its hands are tied. China reportedly planned to cut the flow of petroleum to North Korea as a gesture to Trump, but the U.S. has shown signs of wanting more.
Tier 3 is the lowest stage in the annual Trafficking in Persons report and includes countries like North Korea, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
Tillerson on Tuesday linked the problem of human trafficking to ending North Korea's missile program and blasted Russia and China for hiring slaves from the North Korean government.
"The North Korean regime receives hundreds of millions of dollars per year from the fruits of forced labor," he said during the presentation of the annual report.
"Responsible nations simply cannot allow this to go on, and we continue to call on any nation that is hosting workers from North Korea in a forced labor arrangement to send those people home."
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