DHS Expands Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List with Five New Companies

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has added five new companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List. These entities are allegedly linked to forced labor practices in China's Xinjiang region. This move aims to curb forced labor in supply chains and maintain ethical practices.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has updated the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, adding five new companies allegedly linked to forced labor practices in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR). This update, published by the DHS's Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), reflects ongoing efforts to curb the use of forced labor within supply chains connected to persecuted groups in the XUAR.

The newly-designated entities include Xinjiang Tengxiang Magnesium Products Co., Ltd., Century Sunshine Group Holdings, Ltd., and Rare Earth Magnesium Technology Group Holdings, Ltd. According to officials, these companies have been identified as working with the XUAR government to recruit, transport, transfer, harbor, or receive forced labor from Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, along with other persecuted groups.

Two of the entities were added for sourcing materials from the XUAR, particularly through government labor schemes such as the 'poverty alleviation' or 'pairing-assistance' programs, which are notoriously associated with forced labor practices. One entity has been flagged under both categories.

The UFLPA, enacted to prevent goods made with forced labor from entering the U.S. market, mandates that companies on the Entity List are subject to stringent import restrictions. The DHS's latest action underscores the U.S. government's commitment to addressing human rights abuses and to maintaining ethical supply chains.

As concerns over human rights violations in Xinjiang continue to mount, this expansion of the UFLPA Entity List signals a growing international effort to hold companies accountable for their involvement in forced labor practices.

(With inputs from agencies.)