According to a report from the Federal Gazette, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States will issue a notice on Friday, August 9, prohibiting the import of products from five Chinese companies, citing allegations of human rights violations against the Uyghur people.
This action is part of the ongoing efforts by the United States to eliminate products manufactured through forced labor from its supply chain, in accordance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) that was passed.
The United States has identified three Chinese companies that have procured materials from the Xinjiang region or from entities collaborating with the Xinjiang government or Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, for use in the so-called “poverty alleviation” or “pairing assistance” programs, or any other government labor programs that utilize forced labor.
The three Chinese companies sanctioned include Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings in Hong Kong, Century Sunshine Group Holdings, and Xinjiang Tengxiang Magnesium Products Co, which produces magnesium fertilizers and magnesium alloy products.
Additionally, the US authorities have also identified two other companies that have collaborated with the Xinjiang government of the Chinese Communist Party to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor, or receive members of persecuted groups like Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, outside the Xinjiang region.
These two companies are Kashgar Construction Engineering (Group) Co., Ltd, and Xinjiang Habahe Ashele Copper Co., Ltd (also known as Ashele Copper Co.).
Xinjiang Tengxiang Magnesium Products Co is also accused of participating in collaborating with the Xinjiang government of the Chinese Communist Party to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor, or receive members of persecuted groups such as Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, outside the Xinjiang region.
At the end of 2021, the United States passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which requires companies to prove that their production processes do not involve forced labor in order to import products from Xinjiang.