The Trump administration on Monday imposed sanctions on 11 Chinese companies for the use of forced labor and other forms of repression against Uighur Muslims, an ethnic minority in China, including some with documented relationships with US companies.
The sanctions represent another step by the administration in its increased pressure on the Chinese government in recent months.
The Commerce Department announced that those firms would be included in the “Entity List,” an index of companies believed to be engaged in “activities contrary to the interests of national security or foreign policy of the United States.” According to the Commerce Department, these activities are not only limited to forced labor, but also include DNA collection.
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“Beijing actively promotes the reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens,” Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement. “This action will ensure that our goods and technologies are not used in the Chinese Communist Party’s despicable offensive against defenseless Muslim minorities.”
A study this March conducted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, which is led by the Australian government, named several companies that are now on the Entity List. The New York Times also reported on the study by the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy.
Nanchang O-Film Tech, for example, supplies Apple, HP, GM, Amazon and Microsoft, among others, according to the report. Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co. Ltd. is owned by Victory City International Holding Ltd., which supplies Calvin Klein and North Face. Changji Esquel Textile supplies Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Land’s End, Patagonia, Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, and others.
The other companies mentioned include: Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd .; Hefei Meiling Co. Ltd .; Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd.; Hetian Taida Apparel Co., Ltd .; KTK Group; Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd .; Xinjiang Silk Road BGI; and Beijing Liuhe BGI.
The new Trump administration sanctions come because it has taken a tough stance on China in recent months, especially since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The State Department and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in particular, have attacked China for withholding information on the coronavirus, committing “the blot of the century” of human rights violations in their oppression of Uighurs and for their new law of “national security”. That tightens Beijing’s control over Hong Kong.
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Some attacks have been more general.
“@SecPompeo: We are watching the world unite to understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party,” read an ominous tweet Sunday night in the official State Department account.
The attacks on China are not new, but they come after the Trump administration for years sent mixed messages about China.
Trump has criticized China for taking advantage of the United States in trade deals since the 2016 campaign. But he often praised Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.
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Meanwhile, the U.S. has maintained a consistent message against China’s claims in the South China Sea during the Trump administration, regularly executing freedom of navigation operations with U.S. Navy ships, but Trump himself He drove Republicans insane last fall when he congratulated Xi on his country’s 70th anniversary, avoiding any criticism of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Trump himself, according to a book by former national security adviser John Bolton, had previously expressed his lack of interest in confronting China on the Uighur issue: Trump and many in his administration have condemned Bolton and his book. However, the administration has worked furiously to freeze Huawei, a Chinese-controlled tech company, from global 5G networks.
However, the Trump administration is now increasing pressure on China on a variety of fronts, including Uighur oppression and the alleged coronavirus cover-up earlier this year. Pompeo and Trump have taken photos of China for the coronavirus in recent days, and Trump said China “should never have let it out” in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
