US Sanctions 11 Companies Over Human Rights Abuses Against Uyghurs in China

Wilbur Ross, U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 20th (local time), the U.S. Department of Commerce added 11 Chinese companies involved in human rights abuses against ethnic minorities such as the Uyghurs to its sanctions list.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross stated in a press release that these companies are involved in human rights violations and abuses including repression, arbitrary mass detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biological data, and genetic analysis against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur (Weiwuer) region of China.

Secretary Ross criticized, "Beijing is actively promoting reprehensible practices such as forced labor and violent DNA collection and analysis programs to suppress its citizens."

Changzhi Eskel Textile, Hefei Bitland Information Technology, Hefei Meiling, Hotan Haolin Hair Accessories, Hotan Taida Apparel, KTK Group, Nanjing Synergy Textile, Nanchang O Film Tech, and Tanyuan Technology were sanctioned for involvement in forced labor, while Xinjian Silk Road and Beijing Liuhe were included on the sanctions list for conducting genetic analysis used by Chinese authorities to intensify repression of the Uyghurs.

Major foreign media reported that this is the third case following two rounds of sanctions imposed by the Donald Trump administration on 37 companies and institutions, including video surveillance equipment firms, for their involvement in the repression in Xinjiang.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also stated on the same day that China has been suppressing Falun Gong since 1999 and urged the Chinese government to end its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.