By Uyghur Yurek
June 9 , The United States has imposed a ban on imports from Ninestar Corp, a China-based printer maker, and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical, a Chinese chemical company, citing alleged human rights abuses. The U.S. Homeland Security Department (DHS) stated that Ninestar, the world’s fourth-largest laser printer manufacturer, and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical engaged in business practices that targeted China’s Uyghur population and other persecuted groups.
Senator Marco Rubio welcomed the DHS announcement but criticized the Biden administration’s case-by-case approach, arguing that it allows many companies to profit from slave labor.
The U.S. ban on Ninestar and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical is a result of the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), which was signed into law in December 2021. The act prohibits the import of goods produced in Xinjiang or by companies identified on the UFLPA Entity List unless the importer can demonstrate that the goods were not manufactured with forced labor.
Currently, 22 companies are included on the UFLPA Entity List. DHS revealed that it has examined over $1.3 billion worth of goods that were likely produced with forced labor, almost a year after the UFLPA’s implementation.
Ninestar and its eight Zhuhai-based subsidiaries, along with Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical, were added to the UFLPA Entity List for their involvement in recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving forced labor from Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and other persecuted groups outside of Xinjiang, according to the DHS posting.
