On November 22, 2024, according to a government announcement released online on Friday, the United States has added 30 Chinese companies to the list of entities prohibited from importing food, metals, and other products. The reason behind this decision is that these companies are suspected of assisting the Chinese Communist Party in implementing forced labor against Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
As of now, over a hundred Chinese companies have been blacklisted for their alleged involvement in forced labor.
The newly added Chinese companies cover a wide range of products, including tomato sauce, walnuts, gold, iron ore, and more. The U.S. government is working to block products associated with forced labor from entering the domestic supply chain.
The Department of Homeland Security stated in a press release that on Friday, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF) under its leadership added 30 Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) entity list, which will take effect on November 25.
Under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, products from these companies are presumed to be prohibited from entering the United States.
Friday’s action is one of the significant steps taken by the Biden administration in implementing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The press release mentioned that this is part of the Department of Homeland Security’s commitment to eliminate forced labor products from the U.S. supply chain, targeting the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang region.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated, “Forced labor is a violation of fundamental human rights.”
President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in 2021, which is a crucial part of the Biden administration’s response to unfair trade practices by China, and it received almost unanimous approval in Congress. The law prohibits most imports from Xinjiang, a significant production hub for exports such as cotton, tomatoes, and components for solar panels.
The U.S. points out that the Chinese authorities have set up concentration camps in Xinjiang for the Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups, forcing them into labor, while Beijing denies any human rights violations accusations.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act has led many businesses to scrutinize their supply chains, or else they face the risk of having their goods refused entry into the U.S. According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBS), approximately $36.6 billion worth of goods have been temporarily barred from entering the U.S. since the law took effect in June 2022.
According to The Wall Street Journal, some critics suggest that the U.S. should expand the blacklist and strengthen enforcement efforts, but Mayorkas defends the government’s enforcement achievements. He also mentioned that the U.S. is utilizing technology to identify problematic suppliers.
Mayorkas said, “It can be very challenging to obtain details in the supply chain, but we have made remarkable progress in our investigative capabilities, and we are increasingly utilizing technology to assist us.”
The companies added to the blacklist primarily come from the agricultural sector, but there are also some from other industries, including mining and smelting of aluminum, lithium, and other metals. As of now, the total number of Chinese entities on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act blacklist has reached 107.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, nominated by Donald Trump, supported the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act in the Senate and advocated for stronger enforcement actions.