Biden administration bans imports of Chinese steel brands and artificial sweeteners over forced labor allegations

The action expands the scope of the US effort to counter products entering the country that the government says are linked to human rights abuses.

The additions to the list of entities under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act mark the first time a Chinese steel company or aspartame sweetener business has been targeted by U.S. law enforcement, DHS said.

“Today’s actions reaffirm our commitment to eliminating forced labor from U.S. supply chains and upholding our values ​​of human rights for all,” said Robert Silvers, Under Secretary for Homeland Security Policy. “No sector is off limits. We will continue to identify entities across industries and hold accountable those who seek to profit from exploitation and abuse.”

The federal law that President Joe Biden signed into law in late 2021 followed allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing against members of the Uyghur ethnic group and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The Chinese government dismissed the claims as lies and defended its practice and policy in Xinjiang as countering terror and ensuring stability.

The new approach marked a shift in the US trade relationship with China to increasingly consider national security and human rights. Beijing has accused the US of using human rights as a pretext to suppress China’s economic growth.

Enforcement initially targeted solar products, tomatoes, cotton and clothing, but in the past few months, the US government has identified new enforcement sectors, including aluminum and seafood.

“This is just a reflection of the fact that, unfortunately, forced labor continues to contaminate too many supply chains,” Silvers told a trade group in June, marking the two-year anniversary of the entity list. “So our application net was actually pretty broad from an industry perspective.”

He said the law “changed the dynamic in terms of putting the onus on importers to know their own supply chains” and that its enforcement showed the US could “do the right thing” without halting normal trade.

As of June 2022, the list of entities has grown to a total of 75 companies accused of using forced labor in Xinjiang or supplying materials related to that forced labor, Homeland Security said.

Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co. Ltd. were the newly added Chinese companies to the list.