In a move to outlaw exploitation under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) the outgoing U.S. Biden administration yesterday added 37 companies to what is known as its Entity List for their alleged links to forced labour practises in the country’s Xinjiang region.
The latest additions to the U.S. administration’s forced labour blacklist brings the total to 144. This marks the largest ever expansion of the list since the UFLPA took effect in 2021.
The law was originally drafted as a response to what the Biden administration claimed was "systematic" use of forced labours of religious and ethnic minorities in China's Xinjiang province.
As a result, goods wholly or partially made by these firms in this region will be restricted from entering the U.S.
While the 37 newly banned companies include a handful businesses in the solar energy, real estate and mining sectors, 26 companies are in the cotton industry including their parent company Huafu Fashion — one of the world's largest textile manufacturers. It’s understood that the Xinjiang province supplies around 20% of the world's cotton.
Another company affected includes Zijin Mining Group and its subsidiaries.
Through the action, "we again demonstrate our relentless fight against the cruelty of forced labor, our unwavering commitment to basic human rights, and our tireless defence of a free, fair, and competitive market," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Chinese officials strongly deny U.S. claims that over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been incarcerated a network of detention facilities in the Xinjiang region.
