US blacklists 11 Chinese firms for human rights violations against Uighurs
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Washington DC, July 21: The United States Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on barred 11 new Chinese companies from purchasing American technology and products without a special license, saying the firms were complicit in human rights violations in China’s campaign targeting Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.
According to the department the companies were involved in human rights violations and abuses in the implementation of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) campaign of repression. The Commerce Department said nine of the companies were involved in forced-labor activities involving Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups. They include numerous textile companies and two firms the government said were conducting genetic analyses used to further the repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities.
"Beijing actively promotes the reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
This action will ensure that our goods and technologies are not used in the Chinese Communist Party’s despicable offensive against defenseless Muslim minority populations.
— U.S. Commerce Dept. (@CommerceGov) July 20, 2020
“This action will ensure that our goods and technologies are not used in the Chinese Communist Party’s despicable offensive against defenseless Muslim minority populations,” he said. Blacklisted firms cannot buy components from US companies without government approval.
The companies added to the blacklist include Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd., Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd., Hefei Meiling Co. Ltd., Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd, Hetian Taida Apparel Co., Ltd, KTK Group, Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co. Ltd, Nanchang O-Film Tech, Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd. Moreover Nanchang O-Film Tech, a supplier for Apple’s iPhone. Apart from apple, it is also a supplier to Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft.
It also blocked Xinjiang Silk Road BGI, Beijing Liuhe BGI companies. This move will affect suppliers to major international brands such as Apple, Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger could force companies to sever some ties to China.
This action will supplement BIS’s two tranches of Entity List designations in October 2019 and June 2020, actions that together added 37 parties engaged in or enabling PRC’s repression in Xinjiang. The Commerce Department previously added 20 Chinese public security bureaus and companies including video surveillance firm Hikvision, as well as leaders in facial recognition technology SenseTime Group and Megvii Technology in connection with China's treatment of Muslim minorities.
On the other hand, China's foreign ministry accused the United States on Tuesday of abusing export control measures. China firmly opposed the move and will take all necessary measures to ensure the legitimate rights of Chinese firms, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said during a daily media briefing.