Two sources told Reuters that the Biden administration will include more than 10 Chinese companies on its economic blacklist as early as Friday (July 9), citing suspected violations of human rights and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.
The U.S. Department of Commerce will take action last month after announcing that it will blacklist five other companies and other Chinese entities in response to allegations of forced labor in the far west of China.
Sources said that the addition to the US Department of Commerce’s list of entities 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.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One of the sources said that the department plans to add 14 Chinese companies to the list of entities because of reported infringements in Xinjiang.
The identity of the added company is unclear. Some companies from other countries will also be added to the department’s blacklist as soon as possible on Friday.
The White House declined to comment, and the Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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 a physical listed company seeks a license to receive items from a US supplier, it needs to apply for a license from the Ministry of Commerce and face strict review.
Last month, the Ministry 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 Uygur Autonomous Region”.
The department stated that the June action targeted the capabilities of these five entities, including Chinese solar panel materials company Hosine Silicon Industry Co’s “capacity to acquire goods, software, and technology… and is part of a strong measure taken by the US government Oppose China’s continued suppression of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.”
This is not the first time the US government has targeted a Chinese company related to 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 members of Muslim minorities.”
UN experts and human rights organizations estimate that more than 1 million people have been detained in Xinjiang’s huge concentration camp system in recent years, most of whom are members of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities.
