U.S. intends to add more Chinese companies to Xinjiang blacklist Reuters

Authors: Hummera Pamuk and David Shepardson

Washington (Reuters)-Two sources told Reuters that the Biden administration will include more than 10 Chinese companies on its economic blacklist as early as Friday, citing suspected violations of human rights and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.

The U.S. Department of Commerce will take action after announcing last month that it will blacklist five other companies and other Chinese entities in response to allegations of forced labor in the far west of China.

The source said that the addition to the list of entities of the Ministry of Commerce is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to hold China accountable for human rights violations.

China ignored allegations of genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang and stated that its policy is necessary to eradicate separatists and separatists who planned attacks and provoked tensions between mainly Muslim Uighurs and China’s largest ethnic group, Han. Religious extremists.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Friday: “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and reject US attempts to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”

One of the sources who added the economic blacklist said that the Ministry of Commerce plans to add 14 Chinese companies to the entity list because of reports of abuse in Xinjiang.

The identity of the added company is unclear. Some companies from other countries will also be added to the department’s blacklist on Friday.

The White House declined to comment, and the Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Abuse of rights

The latest actions show that President Joe Biden’s goal is to pressure China on what the government says has worsened human rights violations against Uighurs in Xinjiang.

Generally speaking, when an entity listed company seeks permission to receive items from a US supplier, it needs to apply for permission from the Ministry of Commerce and face strict review.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce stated that it was adding these five Chinese entities to the list of “accepting or using forced labor in the People’s Republic of China’s repression of Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.”

The department stated that the June action targeted five entities, including the Chinese solar panel materials company Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. “The ability to acquire goods, software, and technology… and is part of an effort within the U.S. government “Taking strong actions against China’s continued suppression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.”

This is not the first time that the U.S. government has targeted Chinese companies involved in allegations of high-tech surveillance activities in Xinjiang.

In 2019, the Trump administration included some of China’s top artificial intelligence startups on its economic blacklist because of its treatment of Muslim minorities.

The Ministry of Commerce under Trump has targeted 20 Chinese public security bureaus and 8 companies, including video surveillance company Hikvision, and facial recognition technology leaders Shangtang Technology and Megvii Technology Co., Ltd.

The U.S. Department of Commerce stated in 2019 that these entities are involved in “high-tech surveillance against Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities”.

UN experts and human rights organizations estimate that more than one million people have been detained in Xinjiang’s vast system of concentration camps in recent years, most of whom are members of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.