U.S. to ban imports of all cotton, tomato products from China's Xinjiang region

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The United States is imposing a region-wide ban on all cotton and tomato products from China's western Xinjiang region over allegations that they are made with forced labor from detained Uighur Muslims, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Wednesday.

The move, another step by the Trump Administration in its final days to impose stiff economic penalties on China, applies to raw fibers, apparel and textiles made from Xinjiang-grown cotton, as well as tomato-based food products and seeds from the region. The ban, knows as a withhold release order, also applies to products processed or manufactured in third countries, CBP officials told a news briefing. (Reporting by David Lawder, Editing by Franklin Paul)