On Wednesday, United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confiscated a shipment of tissue suspected of being made from the hair of detainees in Chinese internment camps.
Agents seized a shipment of approximately 13 tons of hair products with an estimated value of more than $ 800,000, CBP said in a statement.
The agency confiscated orders based on suspected human rights abuses in its production, using a release detention order.
“It is absolutely essential that American importers ensure that the integrity of their supply chain meets the human and ethical standards expected by the American government and by American consumers,” said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner of the bureau of commerce. CBP, in a statement. .
“The production of these goods constitutes a very serious violation of human rights, and the arrest warrant is intended to send a clear and direct message to all entities seeking to do business with the United States that unlawful and inhumane practices chains will not be tolerated in the United States’ supply, “he added.
CBP issued a similar arrest warrant for another shipment of fabrics in May, but in that case the products were synthetic. Wednesday’s shipment was manufactured by Lop County Meixin Hair Product Co., while May’s shipment was made by Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co, according to The Associated Press.
Both exporters are based in Xinjiang province, western China, where the government detains one million ethnic minorities, many of them the predominantly Uighur Muslim ethnic group.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied any detention of minorities or forced labor facilities.
“We hope that certain people in the United States will be able to remove polarized glasses, properly understand and objectively and rationally view normal economic and trade cooperation between Chinese and American companies,” the ministry said in a statement, according to the AP.
The report comes days after an AP investigation found that the Chinese government is involved in a forced birth control campaign on detainees in the region, including sterilizations, intrauterine devices and, in some cases, abortions.
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