Washington: The United States has sanctioned two Chinese companies for their labour practices, accusing the firms of deliberately targeting the members of persecuted communities in China.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in a statement that products made by the battery maker Camel Group and the spice and extract manufacturer Chenguang Biotech Group would not be allowed into the nation starting on Wednesday.
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"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new enforcement actions to eliminate the use of forced labour practices in the U.S. supply chain and promote accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), chaired by DHS, added two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List," the DHS said on Tuesday.
"Promoting accountability for the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups" in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang is another goal of the sanctions, according to the DHS.
“Today’s enforcement actions demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to holding organizations accountable for their egregious human rights abuses and forced labour practices,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, according to the official release of DHS.
“We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labour from Xinjiang out of U.S. commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade.” Notably, the announcement of sanctions brings the total number of entities designated on the UFLPA Entity List to 24 companies now.