The United States is stepping up its efforts to stop goods prepared with alleged forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region from entering the US markets, as per reports.
The VOA stated that on November 22, the US Department of Homeland Security added 29 more Chinese companies to a list of firms banned under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
This brings the total number of blacklisted companies to 107. The UFLPA, signed into law by President Joe Biden in December 2021, aims to stop the import of products linked to forced labour.
According to the VOA, Robert Silvers, a senior official at the US Department of Homeland Security stated, “The enforcement actions show that the US will not accept forced labour in goods entering our markets.”On the other hand, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) strongly disagreed, accusing the US of using Xinjiang’s human rights issues as a reason to attack Chinese companies. The ministry claimed that China opposes forced labour in any form and rejected the idea that forced labour exists in Xinjiang, calling the US sanctions unfair.
Many international organizations and reports from independent sources have provided strong evidence that forced labour does take place in Xinjiang. In August 2022, a United Nations expert, Tamoya Obokata, said there was clear evidence that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang were being forced to work, especially in farming and manufacturing, reports told.
Earlier in October, the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a research group based in Washington, reported that Uyghur forced labour is also being used in China’s pharmaceutical industry. The report said Chinese pharmaceutical companies were involved in abuses such as taking land from people without consent, forcing Uyghurs to work in factories, and using Uyghurs for medical experiments without their permission.
