US Blocks Chinese Companies Over Xinjiang Human Rights Abuses
Posted Friday, October 11, 2019 at 3:58pm
| On October 8, the U.S. Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security imposed export controls on 28 Chinese entities due to their alleged involvement in anti-minority human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang, a nominally autonomous region of China. The entities are comprised of 20 local government entities, as well as eight companies: Dahua Technology, Hikvision, IFLYTEK, Megvii Technology, Sense Time, Xiamen Meiya Pico Information Co., Ltd., Yitu Technologies, and Yixin Science and Technology Ltd. U.S. exporters will now be required to obtain licenses before they can do business with these entities. While the Chinese Foreign Ministry criticized the decision, it said that trade talks scheduled for October 10 and 11 in Washington would still go ahead. The listing marks an important turning point in U.S. pressure tactics and policy responses, introducing human rights concerns more prominently as a justified rationale for targeting Chinese companies, including those in the technology sector. |