US bars imports from 26 cotton manufacturers over Uygur forced labour
- The firms were added to a list that restricts the import of goods tied to what Washington says is as an ongoing genocide of minorities in China’s Xinjiang region
- Many of the cotton companies listed are based outside Xinjiang but source their cotton from the region, a US Department of Homeland Security statement said
The United States blocked imports from 26 Chinese cotton traders or warehouse facilities on Thursday as part of its effort to eliminate goods made with the forced labour of Uygur minorities from the US supply chain.
The companies are the latest additions to the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List that restricts the import of goods tied to what the US government has characterised as an ongoing genocide of minorities in China’s Xinjiang region.
US officials believe Chinese authorities have established labour camps for Uygurs and other Muslim minority groups in China’s western Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any abuses.
Many of the cotton companies listed are based outside Xinjiang but source their cotton from the region, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The designations help “responsible companies conduct due diligence so that, together, we can keep the products of forced labour out of our country,” Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Homeland Security, said in the statement.
