Reuters-US restricts imports from three more Chinese companies tied to forced labor
September 26, 2023 3 min 453 words
这篇报道涉及到美国对三家中国公司的限制进口措施，这些公司涉及强迫劳工问题。这一行动是为了清除美国供应链中使用维吾尔族少数民族强迫劳工制造商品的企业。具体来说，这三家公司分别是新疆天棉基金纺织有限公司、新疆天山羊毛纺织有限公司和新疆中泰集团有限公司，它们被列入了《维吾尔族强迫劳动防止法案实体名单》。这一行动使得该名单上的企业总数达到了27家。 美国国土安全部表示，这三家公司被列入名单是因为它们与新疆政府合作，招募、运输、收容或使用维吾尔族、哈萨克族、柯尔克孜族或其他被迫害群体的强迫劳工。这种行为严重侵犯了人权，美国国土安全部强调他们不容忍利用强迫劳工谋取利润的公司。 这三家公司分别从事纺织品、化学品和建筑材料等领域，都位于新疆地区。根据2021年通过的《维吾尔族强迫劳动防止法案实体名单》，除非进口商能够证明商品未经强迫劳工生产，否则禁止将在新疆生产的商品或由列入名单的公司生产的商品进口到美国。 美国官员相信中国当局在中国西部的新疆地区设立了劳工营，用来拘禁维吾尔族和其他穆斯林少数民族。但中国政府否认了这一指控。 美国国务院随后更新了关于新疆供应链的业务咨询，强调了中国在新疆进行“持续的种族灭绝和反人类罪行以及广泛使用强迫劳工”的证据。它强调了企业采取尽职调查措施的紧迫性，包括识别、评估和应对工人面临的强迫劳工和人权风险。 一些维吾尔族团体和活动家对《维吾尔族强迫劳动防止法案》的执行速度和质量感到不满。参议员马可·鲁比奥（Marco Rubio），该法案的发起人之一，敦促拜登政府将更多公司列入名单。他表示：“可能有数千家中国公司和实体涉及奴隶劳工问题，行动的缓慢加剧了那些从奴隶劳工中获利的企业的嚣张。” 这一报道突显了国际关系、人权和商业伦理等重要议题之间的紧张关系，以及全球供应链中的道德责任。保护人权和消除强迫劳工是国际社会的重要任务，这一行动反映了美国对这一问题的关切，并对中国政府的政策提出了质疑。同时，这也提醒了企业必须对其供应链进行更严格的审查，以确保不涉及强迫劳工和人权侵犯，以遵守国际法和伦理标准。
The United State restricted goods from three more Chinese companies from entering the United States on Tuesday as part of an effort to eliminate goods made with the forced labor of Uyghur minorities from the U.S. supply chain.
Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile Co Ltd, Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co. Ltd and Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co. Ltd were added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, according to a government posting, bringing the total number of entities on the list to 27.
The three companies were designated as a result of their business practices involving Uyghur minorities and other persecuted groups, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
"We do not tolerate companies that use forced labor, that abuse the human rights of individuals in order to make a profit," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in the statement.
The three companies were designated for working with the government of Xinjiang to recruit and transport, harbor or use the forced labor of Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups out of the region, the United States said.
Xinjiang Tianmian Foundation Textile Co makes yarn and other textile products, the statement said. Xinjiang Zhongtai Group Co produces and sells polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other textile, chemical and building materials. Xinjiang Tianshan Wool Textile Co sells cashmere and wool garments, among other products. All three are based in Xinjiang.
A 2021 law, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List (UFLPA), prohibits importation of goods into the United States that are either produced in Xinjiang or by companies identified on the list unless the importer can prove that the goods were not produced with forced labor.
U.S. officials believe Chinese authorities have established labor camps for Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in China's western Xinjiang region. Beijing denies any abuses.
The State Department later on Tuesday updated its business advisory on the Xingjiang supply chain to call attention to China's "ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and the evidence of widespread use of forced labor there."
It stressed the urgency for businesses to take due diligence measures, including identifying, assessing and acting on forced labor and human rights risks for workers.
Some Uyghur groups and activists have been frustrated by the pace and quality of enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. Senator Marco Rubio, who helped introduce the law, urged the Biden administration to add more companies to the list.
"There are potentially thousands of China-based companies and entities complicit in slave labor," Rubio said in a statement. "The slow pace emboldens those profiting from slave labor."