WASHINGTON: Biden Administration on Friday added 14 Chinese companies and other entities with a black list of their economies for alleged violations of human rights and high-tech supervision in Xinjiang.
The Trade Department said the company was “involved in human rights violations and violations in the implementation of the campaign of repression, mass detention, and high-tech supervision of Uyghur, Kazakh, and members of other Muslim minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.” Beijing denied the allegations of the violation.
Reuters first reported additional planned Thursday night.
They include China Electronic Academy and Information Technology, Xinjiang Lianhai Chuangzhi Information Technology Co., Shenzhen Cobber Information Technology Co., Information Technology Sailing Xinjiang, Beijing Geling Shentong Information Technology, Shenzhen Hua’antai Intelligent Technology Co.
Ltd., and Chengdu Xiwu Security System Alliance Co.
Ltd.
The trade department said it added that it added 34 entities including some of Russia and Iran, and five other entities directly supported the Chinese military modernization program related to lasers and battle management systems.
“The Commerce Department remains strong committed to taking strong and determining action to target entities that allow human rights violations in Xinjiang or those who use US technology to trigger an unstable military modernization effort in China,” the Trade Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement.
The list also includes eight entities to facilitate US goods exports to Iran and six entities for involvement in the procurement of US electronic components origin, possibly in the progress of the Russian military program.
The action followed the department’s decision last month to add five other companies and other Chinese entities with a blacklist on charges of forced labor in the distance of China.
China rejected allegations of genocide and forced labor in Xinjiang and said the policy was needed to spray separatists and put forward tensions and aroused tensions of most Uyghurs and Han Muslims, the largest ethnic group in China.
“The Chinese side will take all the steps needed to maintain the rights and legitimate interests of the Chinese company and reject US efforts to interfere in China’s internal affairs,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin, on Friday.
The latest action shows President Joe Biden aims to suppress China for what the administration is said to worsen human rights violations of the population of Uyghur in Xinjiang.
In general, the entity added to the black economy list is required to apply for a license from the Ministry of Commerce and face difficult supervision when they request permission to receive goods from US suppliers.
This is not the first time the US government targets Chinese companies related to allegations of high-tech supervision activities in Xinjiang.
In 2019, Trump administration added several artificial intelligence startups on China to its economy’s blacklist for their treatment of Muslim minorities.
The trade department under Trump targets 20 Chinese public security bureaus and eight companies including video supervision companies, Hikvision, and leaders in facial recognition technology, Sensetime Group Ltd., and Megvii Technology Ltd.