In an effort to remove products created using the forced labour of Uyghur minorities from the U.S. supply chain, the United States on Tuesday barred imports from three additional Chinese enterprises.

According to a government posting, three new companies have been added to the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act Entity List, raising the total number of companies on the list to 27. These companies are Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile Co Ltd, Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co. Ltd, and Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co. Ltd.

The three businesses were flagged due to their dealings with Uyghur minorities and other oppressed groups, according to a statement from the US Department of Homeland Security.

“We do not tolerate companies that use forced labor, that abuse the human rights of individuals in order to make a profit,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in the statement.

According to the United States, the three enterprises were singled out for collaborating with the Xinjiang government to enlist, transport, harbour, or exploit the forced labour of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other marginalised groups outside of the province.

According to a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, claims of forced labour in Xinjiang are “the lie of the century” and are intended to harm China’s reputation and stifle its progress.

“In essence, (the U.S.) is undermining Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability, curbing China’s development, and destroying international trade rules and market order,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press briefing.

The U.S. statement stated that yarn and other textile items are produced by Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile Co. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), as well as other architectural, chemical, and textile materials, are produced and sold by Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co. Among other things, Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co. sells clothing made of wool and cashmere.

All of the businesses are based in Xinjiang. Requests for comments from them all did not immediately elicit a response.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, Xinjiang Zhongtai Group made its debut on Fortune magazine’s list of the top 500 companies worldwide in 2022, making it the first Xinjiang state-owned company to do so.

The Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act Entity List (UFLPA) of 2021 forbids the importation of products made in Xinjiang or by businesses listed on the list into the United States unless the importer can demonstrate that the products were not made using forced labour.

Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities are thought to have labour camps set up by Chinese authorities in western China’s Xinjiang province, according to U.S. officials. Beijing disputes any wrongdoing.

Later on Tuesday, the State Department revised its business advice about the Xingjiang supply chain to highlight China’s “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and the evidence of widespread use of forced labour there.”

It emphasised the necessity for companies to exercise due diligence, which includes recognising, evaluating, and responding to hazards to employees’ human rights and forced labour.

The speed and effectiveness of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act’s enforcement have angered some Uyghur groups and activists. The law’s co-author, Senator Marco Rubio, pleaded with the Biden administration to include more businesses on the list.

“There are potentially thousands of China-based companies and entities complicit in slave labor,” Rubio said in a statement. “The slow pace emboldens those profiting from slave labor.”

August saw the United States outlaw products from two newly added Chinese companies.

(Adapted from LiveMint.com)

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