Beijing has repeatedly denied allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang region.<\/b>
\nThe US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday it is designating five new Chinese industry sectors, including copper, lithium and steel, for \u201chigh priority\u201d enforcement under a human rights law restricting imports from China\u2019s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
Tuesday\u2019s updated list also names caustic soda \u2013 a chemical used in textiles and detergents \u2013 and red dates, bringing the total number of high-priority sectors targeted under the law to 12.
The Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act, which went into effect in 2022, creates a \u201crebuttable presumption\u201d that all goods partially or wholly produced in Xinjiang are tainted by forced labour and therefore barred from being imported.
It was expected to have far-reaching effects on global supply chains given Xinjiang\u2019s status as a manufacturing hub for goods ranging from agricultural staples such as cotton and tomatoes to sought-after materials like viscose and polysilicon.
\u201cAmerica has a moral, economic and national security duty to eradicate threats that endanger our nation\u2019s prosperity, including unfair trade practices that disadvantage the American people and stifle our economic growth,\u201d Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
\u201cThe use of slave labour is repulsive and we will hold Chinese companies accountable for abuses and eliminate threats its forced labour practices pose to our prosperity,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n