Xinjiang’s cotton production accounts for one-fifth of the global cotton supply. The picture shows Uyghurs picking cotton.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday (14th) to ban the import of all goods from China’s Xinjiang region in response to allegations of abuse against the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang.
Unless otherwise proven, the legislation presupposes that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are produced through forced labor. However, the bill called “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Law” needs to be passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the President before it can become law.
At present, the United States has banned the import of Xinjiang cotton and tomatoes (tomatoes).
The Chinese government has been widely accused of violating the human rights of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
Some experts estimate that since 2017, at least 1 million people have been detained or imprisoned in this area. Thousands of people who are not detained are under surveillance and control.
However, China firmly denies all allegations, saying that its “detention camps” in Xinjiang are for the “re-education” of Uighurs and other Muslims.
Under this House of Representatives bill, American importers of Xinjiang products must certify that these products do not involve forced labor. According to Bloomberg, under this bill, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has the responsibility to develop an Entity List that lists companies that cooperate with the Chinese government to suppress Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities.
Republican Senator Marco Rubio said in a statement: “We will not turn a blind eye to the ongoing crimes against humanity committed by the (Chinese government), and we will not allow companies to profit from these terrible abuses.”
It is not clear when the bill will be discussed in the House of Representatives. However, the bill is a warning to U.S. companies that still have supply chains and investment relationships in Xinjiang, believing that they “may take a high risk of violating U.S. laws.”
Xinjiang produces 85% of China’s cotton, accounting for one-fifth of the global supply.
In recent months, Western governments have become increasingly tough on companies operating in Xinjiang.
Last week, the Biden administration blacklisted 14 Chinese companies and other entities because the United States believed that they were related to human rights abuses. In early July, according to the European Uyghur Institute (IODE) and other groups accusing some retailers of profiting from goods produced by forced labor, the French government began an investigation of “crimes against humanity” against four major fashion manufacturers.
The U.S. newly added 34 entities to the foreign blacklist
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce last week (9th), the U.S. has added 34 foreign entities to the list, including 14 Chinese entities accused by the U.S. of violating human rights and conducting technological surveillance in Xinjiang, and 5 Support China’s military modernization enterprises, the latter including Taiwan-funded “Hangzhou Hualan Microelectronics”.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also issued a statement stating that the U.S. will “resolutely take strong and decisive actions to combat human rights violations in Xinjiang, or use U.S. technology to promote China’s destabilizing military modernization entity companies.”
In addition to China, Russia has 6 entities on the list. Canada, Iran and Lebanon each have two, Taiwan, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom each have one on the list.
Companies such as Hangzhou Hualan Microelectronics and Beijing Dongtu Technology, which are listed as Taiwanese companies, are believed to be involved in activities that violate US national security and foreign policy and are purchasing or attempting to purchase US products to support China’s military modernization.
Beijing strongly opposes
In response to the sanctions proposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin responded to Reuters at a press conference, saying:“China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and resolutely defeat the US attempt to interfere in China’s internal affairs.”
Wang Wenbin also said that the US entity list is“A tool to suppress specific Chinese companies and industries under the guise of human rights”,Yes“Disaster Xinjiang, control China by Xinjiang”s method.
According to Reuters, most of these institutions on the list are related to digital (code) technology, including China Academy of Electronic Science; Shenzhen Kepa Information Technology Co., Ltd.; Xinjiang Lianhai Chuangzhi Information Technology Co., Ltd., etc.
Image source,Reuters
In 2018, the Chinese authorities quickly and extensively established a huge detention system across Xinjiang.
Taiwanese companies’ inclusion in the list attracts attention
The U.S. Department of Commerce also specifically named among the five corporate entities that directly support China’s military modernization, “Hangzhou Hualan Microelectronics Company” (Sage-Micro), which is classified as a Taiwanese company, has aroused public opinion in Taiwan.
According to the official website of Hualan Micro, the company was established in 2011 by a technical team with work experience in Silicon Valley, USA. The webpage introduces “Specializing in the core technology research of data storage and information security, providing integrated circuit chips and technical solutions in the field of data storage and information security. It is the only high-tech company in my country with a full range of digital storage controller chips.”
The company’s current chief executive (CEO) is Jianjun Luo, Ph.D. from Zhejiang University. In 2001, he went to work in Silicon Valley, USA, and is the co-founder of Baleen Systems Inc. The company is headquartered in Hangzhou, China, and has branches in Taiwan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing and Silicon Valley in the United States.
The factory in Kuqa, Xinjiang