US bans imports from five Chinese companies linked to Uighur forced labour and 'genocide'

To tackle forced labour, the United States has banned imports from five more Chinese companies. It has targeted China-based firms accused of using Uighur forced labour for profit.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has added these five companiesto the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, raising the total to 73. It is illegal for Americans to do business with companies on this list.

As per ANI, a broader ban covering any goods produced, even partly, using Uighur forced labour is also in place.

Which companies have been added to the list?

The companies added are:

- Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings and its parent company, Century Sunshine Group Holdings from Hong Kong, for allegedly sourcing materials tainted by forced labour from Xinjiang.

- Kashgar Construction Engineering (Group) Co Ltd, Xinjiang Habahe Ashele Copper Co Ltd, and Xinjiang Tengxiang Magnesium Products Co Ltd for allegedly directly employing Uighur forced labour.

The DHS said these additions align with its mission to fight forced labour and hold accountable those involved in what it calls China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)."

Implementation and reactions

Starting August 9, 2024, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will apply a rebuttable presumption that goods from these companies are banned from entering the US.

"As DHS identifies more entities across different sectors that use or facilitate forced labour, we act to keep their tainted goods out of our nation’s supply chains," said Alejandro N. Mayorkas, US Secretary of Homeland Security.

What is UFLPA?

The UFLPA, or the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act, was signed into law in December 2021. It includes companies across many sectors, from apparel to electronics.

Robert Silvers, DHS Under Secretary for Policy and Chair of the Forced Labour Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), stressed that "Companies must conduct due diligence and know where their products are coming from."

Since 2021, the US government has accused China of carrying out "genocide" against Uighurs and other Muslims by sterilising women and imprisoning Uyghurs in high-security internment camps in Xinjiang.

(With inputs from agencies)