Washington D.C.: The U.S. Department of State, alongside the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and the U.S. Department of Labor, issued an updated Xinjiang Supply Chain Business Advisory in response to what they claimed the Chinese government’s ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and the growing evidence of its use of forced labour there.
The move follows the US Department of Commerce’s decision of July 9, 2021 to blacklist 14 entities that “enabled” human rights abuses and military in China.
Also read: US blacklists 34 entities that “enabled” human rights abuses and military in China, Russia and Iran
The updated Advisory highlights 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 U.S. government agencies on July 1, 2020.
Among other elements, the updated Business Advisory:
- Includes information from the Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, which are now co-signatories;
- Notes that the Chinese government is perpetrating genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang;
- Provides specific information regarding risks related to investment in Chinese companies linked to surveillance and forced labour in Xinjiang;
- Strengthens recommendations for businesses regarding the risks and potential exposure related to supply chains and investment links to Xinjiang, including but not limited to surveillance;
- Updates the list of U.S. government enforcement actions in and in connection to Xinjiang;
- Adds information on silicon and polysilicon supply chains linked to Xinjiang; and
- Provides a list of other countries’ relevant regulatory provisions and information on forced labor in supply chains.
“The United States will continue to promote accountability for the People’s Republic of China’s atrocities and other abuses through a whole-of-government effort and in close coordination with the private sector and our allies and partners,” a US Department of State Spokesperson stated here today.
It further stated that the PRC government continues “its horrific abuses in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) and elsewhere in China, targeting Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and ethnic Kyrgyz who are predominantly Muslim, and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups.
“These abuses include widespread, state-sponsored forced labour and intrusive surveillance, forced population control measures and separation of children from families, mass detention, and other human rights abuses amidst ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity. 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 U.S. law.”
– global bihari bureau
