US bans Chinese printer maker Ninestar, chemical firm over Uighur abuse links

In a move to combat human rights abuses in China, the US has imposed a ban on imports from Chinese printer manufacturer Ninestar Corp and chemical company Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical Co Ltd. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has accused these companies of participating in business practices that target China’s Uighurs and other persecuted groups.

Ninestar, which claims to be the world’s fourth-largest laser printer manufacturer, and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical could not be reached for immediate comment. Over a million people, mainly Uighurs and Muslim minorities, are believed to have been detained in camps in China’s western Xinjiang region in recent years. These individuals have reportedly been subjected to ideological training and abuse, according to UN experts and rights groups. China, however, has denied all allegations of abuse.

The ban on imports from these companies was implemented under the US Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA), which was signed into law in December 2021. The act prohibits imports into the US that are either produced in Xinjiang or by companies identified on a UFLPA Entity List, unless the importer can prove the goods were not produced with forced labour.

Currently, 22 companies are on the list, and DHS has examined over US$1.3bn worth of goods likely manufactured with forced labour nearly a year after the UFLPA was implemented. Ninestar and its eight Zhuhai-based subsidiaries, as well as Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical, were added to the list for collaborating with the government of Xinjiang to recruit, transport, transfer, harbour or receive forced labour of Uighurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups, out of Xinjiang.

DHS Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers, who chairs the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, said in a statement, “The Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force will continue to hold companies accountable for perpetuating human rights violations in Xinjiang.”