UFLPA Entity List Now Totals 144 Companies
Cotton and textile manufacturers, mining companies and manufacturers producing solar modules with polysilicon were among those targeted for inclusion in the Department of Homeland Security's list of companies flagged for using forced labor or sourcing materials from the Xinjiang region in China.
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Their inclusion to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List marks the largest single expansion of the list to date, according to DHS. The agency noted that 37 entities have been adding to the list, growing the total number of companies on the list to 144 entities.
“This largest-ever batch of additions reinforces that we are implementing the full force of this law, making impactful updates to the UFLPA Entity List, and enhancing U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s enforcement capabilities," acting DHS Under Secretary for Policy Robert Paschall said in the Jan. 14 release.
As a result of the companies' inclusion on the list, CBP will ban goods produced by the entities from entering the U.S., effective Jan. 15.
Three companies were added to the UFLPA Entity List in the category of companies allegedly harboring or using forced labor. They were Xinjiang Energy, its subsidiary Xinjiang Energy Real Estate and Xinjiang Jinbao Mining. One mining company, Xinjiang Zijin Zinc Industry, was flagged both for using forced labor and for sourcing materials from the Xinjiang region.
Xinjiang Energy is engaged in the development and utilization of coal, wind, photovoltaic, oil and gas, and other resources, while Xinjiang Energy Real Estate deals with real estate development and property management.
Xinjiang Jinbao Mining and Xinjang Zijin Zinc Industry are subsidiaries of Zijin Mining Group and primarily focus on smelting and producing refined zinc and sulfuric acid and iron mining, according to DHS.
Meanwhile, 35 companies within the textile, mining and solar industries were added for sourcing materials from the Xinjiang region or participating in government-supported poverty alleviation schemes.
Within the cotton sector, 26 entities, consisting of Huafu Fashion Co. and 25 of its subsidiaries, were flagged for sourcing cotton or cotton-based products from the Xinjiang region.
Donghai JA Solar Technology, which focuses on the research and development of solar energy products and the production of silicon rods, wafers, ingots, and solar cell modules; Hongyuan Green Energy, which engages in high-end equipment manufacturing and the production of industrial and crystalline silicon, silicon wafers, batteries, and modules; Jiangsu Meike Solar Technology and Baotou Meike Silicon Energy, both of which manufacture silicon rods and wafers; and Shuangliang Silicon Materials, which manufactures and sells single crystal silicon rods and wafers, were among the entities flagged for sourcing materials from the Xinjiang region.
Zijin Mining Group and its subsidiaries allegedly have mining operations in the Xinjiang region or they source materials from that region. These entities engage in the exploration and extraction of metals, including zinc, copper, lead, silver, gold, iron ore and sulfuric acid.
The UFLPA Entity List, overseen by the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, of which DHS is chair, is part of the federal government's broader effort to rid forced labor from the U.S. supply chain. CBP says since it began enforcing the UFLPA in June 2022, it has reviewed more than 11,300 shipments valued at more than $3.67 billion under the UFLPA.
The full list of companies is available in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Jan. 15 publication.