US Imposes New Sanctions on Chinese Firms Over Xinjiang

Separately, the Senate passed a bill that would ban all imports from Xinjiang

On Thursday, the US sanctioned several Chinese tech firms and research institutes by adding them to a Commerce Department export blacklist.

The blacklist prevents anyone in the US from doing business with the Chinese firms unless they obtain a waiver. The Commerce Department said the firms were being targeted for their alleged role in the surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

Also on Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban all imports from Xinjiang over allegations of forced labor. The legislation, known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, was passed by the House on Tuesday and now needs President Biden’s signature to become law. The White House said Biden “welcomed” the legislation, signaling the president will sign the bill once it reaches his desk.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act would create a presumption that all goods produced in Xinjiang are made with forced labor. Any US company that seeks to continue business in the region must provide “clear and convincing evidence” that their supply chain is free of such goods. The bill also paves the way for new sanctions on Chinese officials and entities.

Major US corporations lobbied to weaken the bill, including Nike and Coca-Cola. The companies rejected the accusations of forced labor, and Coca-Cola said it uses third-party auditors to inspect factories in the region. The main report linking US firms to forced labor came fromĀ the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tankĀ that is funded in part by the Australian Department of Defense, the Pentagon, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.