US restricts food, metal imports from Chinese companies on Uighur forced labour concerns
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US officials are adding around 30 entities to the Uighur Forced Labour Prevention Act entity list.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - The US said on Nov 22 that it is barring imports from dozens more China-based companies – ranging from businesses in the metals to food industries – citing worries over forced labour.
Officials are adding around 30 entities to the Uighur Forced Labour Prevention Act entity list, meaning that goods wholly or partially made by these companies will be restricted from entering the US.
The new additions bring the total number on the list to 107, said the Department of Homeland Security.
The reason is that the companies were found to either source materials from China’s north-western Xinjiang region or work with its local government “to recruit, transfer and receive workers, including Uighurs, out of Xinjiang”, said the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office.
Beijing has been accused of incarcerating over one million Uighurs officials strongly deny this.
The newly targeted companies make goods ranging from agricultural to aluminium products, along with polysilicon materials.
They also mine and process metals such as copper, gold and nickel, the USTR statement added.
Among them are companies tied to Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL and China-linked Gotion, noted a bipartisan US congressional committee on Nov 22.
Earlier in 2024, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and others flagged CATL and Gotion’s ties to two businesses, Xinjiang Nonferrous and Xinjiang Joinworld.
Both were included in the latest update.
The committee’s chairman John Moolenaar and other lawmakers released a statement saying: “While we are pleased with this initial step, we remain concerned that CATL and Gotion’s supply chains are deeply tied to the Xinjiang region.”
The rule comes into effect on Nov 25.
“Companies should not secure unfair advantages by exploiting workers,” said US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
“We will enforce our laws to address forced labour and prevent companies that violate workers’ rights from benefiting from the US market,” she added in a statement.
The Uighur Forced Labour Prevention Act was signed into law in 2021. AFP
