US bans imports of shoes, seafood and aluminum companies from China

Dongguan Oasis Shoes, Xinjiang Shenhuo Coal and Electricity and Shandong Meijia were added to the commercial blacklist.

The U.S. has added three more companies to a list banning imports from companies allegedly involved in forced labor of Uyghurs in China, according to a U.S. government notice posted online Tuesday.

The latest targets include footwear maker Dongguan Oasis Shoes Co, electrolytic aluminum producer Xinjiang Shenhuo Coal and Electricity Co and food processor Shandong Meijia Group Co, also known as Rizhao Meijia Group, the Department of Homeland Security notice said. of the USA (DHS).

“With these actions, DHS is increasing its focus on seafood, aluminum and footwear – sectors that play an important role in Xinjiang’s economy – and ensuring that products made with forced labor are kept out of the U.S. market,” said the department in a separate statement.

Dozens of companies have been added to the Entity List of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which restricts the import of goods linked to what the U.S. government has characterized as an ongoing genocide of minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.

U.S. officials say Chinese authorities have established work camps for Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. Beijing denies any abuse.

When asked to comment on the latest US move, Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu called allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang “nothing but an outrageous lie propagated by anti-China forces and a tool for US politicians to destabilize Xinjiang and contain China’s development.”

Referring to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Law, he added: “It not only seriously infringes on the human rights of people in Xinjiang, but also destabilizes global industrial and supply chains and sabotages international trade rules.”

Via South China Morning Post.