US banning imports from three Chinese companies, citing forced labor concerns

Three Chinese companies will no longer be able to export goods to the United States due to forced labor concerns, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday. 

A chemical product company, a wool company and a textile company will be added to the list of sanctioned companies for using forced Uyghur labor in China’s northwest province, Xinjiang, DHS said. 

As of Sept. 27 the three China-based companies will no longer be able to export the United States. There are now 27 Chinese companies restricted due to forced labor, as part of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

The sanctions are part of an effort to “promote accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups” in the region, DHS said in its statement.  

Uyghurs have been targeted by the Chinese government for years. The U.S. has labeled the Chinese government’s actions a genocide, with reports of prison camps and systematic efforts to rid the population of its language, religion and culture. 

“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 a statement Tuesday.

“The Department of Homeland Security and its partners across the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to prosecute these companies, fight for the rights of the abused, and work towards the [elimination] of Uyghur forced labor in the People’s Republic of China.”

The UFLPA was signed into law by President Biden in 2021. Customs and Border Protection has since reviewed thousands of shipments to determine if there is evidence that goods were not produced with forced labor, the statement said. 

“The United States does not, and will not, tolerate products made with forced labor coming into our country,” Robert Silvers, chair of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, said in a statement.

“Through the enforcement actions taken today, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force is again making clear our country’s resolve to keep the global supply chain fair, just, and secure for all.” 

The names of the three newly sanctioned companies are Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co., Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co., and Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile Co.