US restricts imports from three more Chinese companies tied to forced labour
THE United States restricted imports from three more Chinese companies on Tuesday (Sep 26) as part of an effort to eliminate goods made with the forced labour of Uyghur minorities from the US supply chain.
Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile, Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile and Xinjiang Zhongtai Group were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List (UFLPA), according to a government posting, bringing the total number of entities on the list to 27.
The three companies were designated as a result of their business practices involving Uyghur minorities and other persecuted groups, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
“We do not tolerate companies that use forced labour, that abuse the human rights of individuals in order to make a profit,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said.
The three companies were designated for working with the government of Xinjiang to recruit and transport, harbour or use the forced labour of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups out of the region, the United States said.
Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile makes yarn and other textile products, the statement said. Xinjiang Zhongtai Group produces and sells polyvinyl chloride and other textile, chemical and building materials. Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile sells cashmere and wool garments, among other products. All three are based in Xinjiang.
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A 2021 law, the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act Entity List, prohibits the importation of goods into the United States that are either produced in Xinjiang or by companies identified on the list unless the importer can prove that the goods were not produced with forced labour.
US officials believe Chinese authorities have established labour camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in China’s western Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any abuses.
The State Department later on Tuesday updated its business advisory on the Xingjiang supply chain to call attention to China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and the evidence of widespread use of forced labour there”.
It stressed the urgency for businesses to take due diligence measures, including identifying, assessing and acting on forced labour and human rights risks for workers.
“There are potentially thousands of China-based companies and entities complicit in slave labour,” Rubio said. “The slow pace emboldens those profiting from slave labour.”
The United States in August banned goods from two China-based companies that were added to the list. REUTERS
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