US adds three Chinese companies to entities using Uyghur forced labor

WASHINGTON D.C. As part of its efforts to remove goods made by Uyghur forced labor from the U.S. supply chain, the U.S. government restricted imports from three additional Chinese companies on Tuesday.

Bringing the total number of entities to 27, Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile, Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile and Xinjiang Zhongtai Group were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List (UFLPA).

In a statement, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the three companies were listed due to their business practices involving Uyghur minorities and other persecuted groups.

“The three companies were designated for working with the government of Xinjiang to recruit and transport, harbor or use the forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz or members of other persecuted groups out of the region,” the statement added.

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

The allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang are “the lie of the century,” a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said in response, adding that they aimed to discredit China and suppress its development.

The three companies, all based in Xinjiang, have yet to respond to requests for comment.

Implemented in 2021, the UFLPA bans the importation of goods into the U.S. that are either produced in Xinjiang or by companies identified on the list unless importers can prove that they were not produced using forced labor.