The difference is that we (America) can change China and the Indo-Pacific, but not the US prison system. Something about balance of powers, executive branch balanced by whatever it wants...maybe I'm misremembering what I learned in school though.

Anyway, it's just common sense. I believe we have the tools to change things in that area of the world, but not domestically. Our hands our tied here, so how will we deal with the fact that hundreds of thousands of citizens do commit crimes that lead to long sentences. If we don't jail a few hundred thousand of these people, then will it lead to problems in society or the economy? Inflation is already hard enough on the rich and poor. Around Xinjiang, we have more tools available to stop the prison labor there, like industry sanctions.

The ROI of working on Xinjiang is higher than the ROI: the conditions there are worse according to what I've read and we have more powerful tools at our disposal. So, let's keep our head clear and focused on China.

(Hopefully it's clear I don't truly believe what I wrote. It just sounds logical to me.)

>...The difference is that we (America) can change China and the Indo-Pacific, but not the US prison system.

I'm not sure how ending prison slavery abroad in a sovereign country is supposedly easier than ending it at home, especially in a country that rambles incessantly about "freedom". The fact of the matter is that much of the US population likes the system, and by focusing on China, we don't have to acknowledge that offensive fact.

Was he being sarcastic? I'm not sure. He may have been trying to sarcastically say that our political climate doesn't realistically allow this to change?

> We criticize China for prison labor.

The biggest criticism for China is the reasons people are put into prison labor programs.

> This can't be true. We criticize China for prison labor. That would be like someone who beats their own children criticizing someone else for beating their own children.

My understanding is that the criticisms are not so much that prisoners are used for labor, but the so-called crimes that got them into prison (e.g. being a Uyghur who practices Islam in Xinjiang, criticizing the government) shouldn't be crimes at all.

Police have higher rates of domestic violence than the general populace. Do you want to stop police from apprehending those who beat their family?

Seems fair for a hypocrite to call out another hypocrite. Maybe by some sort of miracle a self-corrective loop can emerge.