U.S. bans cotton imports from 26 Chinese firms over forced labor
The USA banned the import of cotton from 26 Chinese entities due to allegations of forced labor involving the Uyghur minority. The States aim to eliminate goods produced this way from the supply chain.
1:22 PM EDT, May 17, 2024
The United States banned imports from 26 Chinese companies trading or storing cotton as part of efforts to eliminate goods produced using forced labor involving Uyghur minorities from the American supply chain, CNN reports.
More companies added to the list
The companies were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, which restricts the import of goods associated with what the US government has labeled as an ongoing genocide of the minority in China’s Xinjiang region.
American officials believe that Chinese authorities have set up labor camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in the western Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any such abuses, CNN recalls.
Many of the listed cotton companies are headquartered outside Xinjiang but source cotton from this region, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington criticized this move.
65 companies on the DHS list
According to the department, Washington has restricted imports from 65 entities since the passage of the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Lawmakers want DHS to blacklist Chinese companies in the polysilicon, aluminum, PVC, and rayon industries, as well as any companies from other parts of Asia producing goods for the American market using raw materials sourced from Xinjiang, reads a report on CNN's website.
