The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a ban on imports from two Chinese companies, a steel manufacturer and an artificial sweetener maker, citing their alleged involvement in the use of forced labor from China’s Xinjiang region, The Associated Press reports.
The addition of these companies to the entity list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act marks the first time a Chinese steel company or aspartame sweetener business has been targeted by US law enforcement, DHS said.
The federal law, signed by President Joe Biden in late 2021, was enacted in response to allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The Chinese government vehemently denies these claims, labeling them as lies and defending its practices and policies in the region as necessary for combating terrorism and ensuring stability.
This new approach marks a shift in the US trade relationship with China, stressing national security and human rights concerns. Beijing has accused the US of using human rights as a pretext to suppress China’s economic growth.
While the initial focus of the law was on solar products, tomatoes, cotton, and apparel, the US government has recently expanded its enforcement to include sectors like aluminum and seafood. Since June 2022, the entity list has grown to 75 companies accused of using forced labor in Xinjiang or sourcing materials connected to such labor, according to Homeland Security.
