Businesses, Individuals Linked To China's Xinjiang Risk Violating US Law - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2021) The United States has updated its Supply Chain business Advisory related to China's Xinjiang province, alleging potential risks related to human rights abuses of the predominantly Uyghur population, the US State Department said on Tuesday.

"[The US] issued an updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory to highlight the heightened risks for businesses with supply chain and investment links to Xinjiang, given the entities complicit in forced labor and other human rights abuses there and throughout China. This updates the original Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory issued by US government agencies on July 1, 2020," the statement said.

The State Department also said that businesses and individuals who remain connected to Xinjiang risk violating US laws.

"Given the severity and extent of these abuses, businesses and individuals that do not exit supply chains, ventures, and/or investments connected to Xinjiang could run a high risk of violating US law," it said.

On Friday, the Biden administration added 14 Chinese companies and other entities to an economic blacklist over alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.

The administration said the Chinese government continues "horrific abuses" in Xinjiang and elsewhere "targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and ethnic Kyrgyz who are predominantly Muslim, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups."

Tuesday's move signals broader US government coordination over the enforcement of sanctions, with the Labor Department and the US Trade Representative's Office pulled into the effort. The State, Commerce, Homeland Security and Treasury departments were the first to roll out action against China's alleged abuse of Muslims in Xinjiang in July of 2020.

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai praised Canada, Mexico and other US partners for committing to ban the import of goods made with forced labor.

"I want to commend our allies for sending a clear sign that there is no place for forced labor in a fair, rules-based international trading system," Tai said in a statement.

According to the departments of State and Labor, several studies have documented more than one million Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities have been unjustly imprisoned in internment camps within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

China denies being engaged in any abuses and says it has established vocational training centers in Xinjiang to address religious extremism there.