The Department of Homeland Security in the United States announced on Tuesday, January 14, that it has prohibited the import of products from 37 Chinese companies due to alleged infringement of the rights of the Uyghur people in China. These entities are involved in industries such as textiles, mining, and solar energy.
According to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed in 2021, the United States restricts the import of goods related to human rights violations and ongoing genocide in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. This is an effort by the Department of Homeland Security to stop the Chinese Communist Party from infringing on the rights of the Uyghur people.
The U.S. government believes that the Chinese authorities have established detention camps in the Xinjiang region for the Uyghur people and other religious and ethnic minorities. Beijing has denied these allegations.
Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, stated, “We have added 37 companies to the UFLPA Entities List, bringing the total to nearly 150. This once again demonstrates our relentless commitment to combating the cruel practices of forced labor, our steadfast dedication to basic human rights, and our defense of a free and fair competitive market.”
Since 2022, the United States has consistently enforced the UFLPA ban, as remarked by Robert Paschall, the Acting Deputy Policy Secretary, “With each update and addition to the UFLPA Entities List, we are building momentum to show that our efforts to eradicate forced labor from the national supply chain are sustainable and enduring.”
He further stated, “This is the largest-ever expansion of the UFLPA Entities List, strengthening the enforcement capabilities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and showing that we are fully implementing this law.”
The entities blacklisted include companies engaged in the extraction and processing of critical minerals in Xinjiang, such as the Zijin Mining Group and its Xinjiang subsidiaries; those involved in growing Xinjiang cotton and producing textiles for global export, like Huafu Fashion and its 25 subsidiaries; as well as companies manufacturing solar panels using polysilicon produced in Xinjiang.
The ban on these 37 entities is expected to take effect on Wednesday, January 15.