The US government and lawmakers in a number of other Western countries have labelled China’s treatment of the Uygur minority in Xinjiang “genocide” – a charge Beijing vehemently denies.
Rights groups said at least 1 million people, mostly members of Muslim minorities, have been incarcerated in the region and face widespread abuses, including forced sterilisation of women and coerced labour.
In a separate statement on Tuesday, secretary of homeland security Alejandro Mayorkas said: “We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labour from Xinjiang out of US commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade.”
The UFLPA, adopted by Congress with bipartisan support in 2021, bans the import of all goods from the Xinjiang region unless companies offer verifiable proof that production did not involve forced labour.
Apart from Tuesday’s additions to the entity list, two more China-based companies – printer manufacturer Ninestar Corporation and chemical products firm Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co. – were also added earlier this year.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse
