The administration under Joe Biden has been set to add more than 10 Chinese companies to its economic blacklist as early as Friday for alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang.
It was also reported that over the allegations of forced labour in the far western region of China, the US Commerce Department’s actions followed the addition of five other companies and other Chinese entities to the blacklist.
The additions to the Commerce Departments Entity List were a part of the Biden Administration’s efforts for holding China accountable for human rights violations.
China had dismissed the accusations of genocide and the forced labor in Xinjiang and has said that their policy was necessary to stamp out the separatists and religious extremists who plotted attacks and stirred up tension between mostly Muslim ethnic Uighurs and Han, which is China’s largest ethnic group.
There was no immediate response from the Chinese embassy in Washington.
However one of the sources said that the department had planned to add 14 of the Chinese companies to the Entity list for reported abuses in Xinjiang. The identity of the companies from other countries has not been disclosed yet.
The White House had declined to comment while there was no immediate comment of the Commerce Department in the response.
