US banning imports from two more China-based firms over forced Uyghur labor

Two Chinese companies will no longer be able to export to the U.S. due to their use of forced labor, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Tuesday.

A car battery manufacturer and a food additive company were added to the U.S. sanctions list because they use forced Uyghur labor in China’s northwest Xinjiang province, the department said.

The actions are part of the department’s attempts to hold China accountable for the “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity” against the Uyghurs, a Muslim minority group in Xinjiang, according to DHS.

“Today’s enforcement actions demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to holding organizations accountable for their egregious human rights abuses and forced labor practices,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang out of U.S. commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade.”

A total of 24 Chinese companies have been sanctioned due to forced labor use as part of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act passed in 2021.

The Chinese government has targeted Uyghurs for nearly a decade, including incarcerating and ‘reeducating’ over a million members of the minority group. Camps aim to rid the population of its language, religion and culture.

The U.S. has labeled the Chinese government’s actions a genocide.

“The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force continues to send a strong message to industry that the United States will not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains and that we will always stand up against cruel and inhumane labor practices,” task force chairman Robert Silvers said in a statement. “We are committed to the eradication of forced labor around the world.”