US bans steel, artificial sweetener imports from Chinese companies over forced labor allegations

The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday it will no longer import steel or artificial sweeteners from two companies based in China due to their alleged use of forced labor.

The department said Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co. Ltd., which are accused of using forced labor to sell goods internationally, will join the list of companies sanctioned under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).

“The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is the Biden-Harris Administration’s most powerful tool to combat forced labor and hold its perpetrators to account,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement Wednesday. “The UFLPA is catalyzing American businesses to fully examine and assess their supply chains and setting a new standard for our international partners as we work together to eradicate forced labor from the global economy.”

This action marks the first time a steel or aspartame company has been added to the UFLPA “entity list.” President Biden signed the UFLPA into law at the end of 2021 following allegations of abuse toward the ethnic Uyghur group and other persecuted groups. 

“Today’s actions reaffirm our commitment to eliminating forced labor from U.S. supply chains and upholding our values of human rights for all,” said Robert Silvers, Homeland Security under secretary for policy. “No sector is off-limits. We will continue to identify entities across industries and hold accountable those who seek to profit from exploitation and abuse.”