US Bars Imports From 43 Chinese Companies Under Forced Labor Law
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 4 August: The United States has added 43 Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, marking the largest single expansion of the blacklist since the law was enacted in 2021. The move brings the total number of listed entities to 187. The restrictions took effect on 3 August.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the additions on 31 July, saying the companies were designated because they either source materials from the so-called Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) or participate in government labour transfer programmes involving Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other persecuted groups from the region.
Under the UFLPA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) applies a “rebuttable presumption” that goods produced wholly or in part by listed entities are made with forced labor and are therefore barred from entering the United States unless importers can prove otherwise.
The newly listed firms operate across sectors identified by U.S. authorities as high priorities for enforcement, including aluminum, apparel, copper, cotton, tomatoes and downstream products. The list also includes companies involved in lithium, battery materials, electronics components, solar materials, mining, food production and pharmaceuticals.
Among the companies added are TBEA Co., Xinjiang Tianchi Energy Co., Tianshan Aluminum Group and seven affiliated companies, SDIC Xinjiang Lithium Industry Co., SDIC Xinjiang Luobupo Potash Co., Xinjiang Tianhongji Technology Co., Hunan Aihua Group Co., Chacha Food Co., Shandong Gold Mining Co. and Shandong Gold Smelting Co.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the action would prevent products allegedly made with forced labor from entering the U.S. market while protecting American workers from unfair competition. Since the UFLPA took effect, CBP has denied entry to more than 24,300 shipments valued at nearly US$1 billion, according to DHS.
China’s Ministry of Commerce has condemned the move as an “unfounded unilateral sanction” and said it would take “necessary measures” to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies. China’s embassy in Washington also rejected the allegations, saying Chinese law prohibits forced labor and that workers in East Turkestan(Xinjiang) are free to choose their occupations.
According to the Federal Register notice, four companies were listed over their alleged involvement in government labor transfer programs, while the remaining entities were added for sourcing materials from East Turkestan or from suppliers linked to those programs.
