US cuts ties with 11 Chinese Firms in Xinjiang for violating human rights

On Monday, the U.S. Commerce Department barred 11 Chinese companies from accessing U.S.-sourced commodities, technology, and other items.
11 Chinese companies situated in the northwestern China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) have allegedly been involved in violating human rights of exploiting Uyghur and other minority Muslim workers.

The U.S. Commerce Department added these 11 Chinese companies to the Entities List which is maintained by the Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS).

Wilbur Ross, the Secretary of Commerce criticized the 11 Chinese companies for being involved in "reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes to repress its citizens."

"This action will ensure that our goods and technologies are not used in the Chinese Communist Party's despicable offensive against defenseless Muslim minority populations," Ross added.

Nury Turkel, the member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, supported the U.S. decision saying that the decision "will help ensure that the fruits of American innovation and industry are not inadvertently fueling outrageous religious freedom and labor violations."

"We urge Congress to pass the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which would bar imports of all goods mined, produced, or manufactured in Xinjiang, unless proven by clear and convincing evidence that the goods were not produced using forced labor," Turkel added.

The Trump administration imposed stronger sanctions on some of the top Chinese officials who were determined responsible for violating human rights in Xinjiang. 

China has been enforcing strict rules on Muslim minorities in XUAR or mostly Uyghurs by prohibiting the use of native languages, expressional traditional culture, and family planning. If the Muslim minorities did not abide, they were sent to internment camps to be "re-educated" from "terrorist-like" behavior. Beijing labels these reeducation camps "vocational centers" despite social media outlets exposing the detainees being held against their will to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination.