The US Commerce Department has imposed new sanctions on a number of Chinese companies for their alleged involvement in the persecution of ethnic minority Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. The companies are accused of being involved in human rights violations and abuses carried out as part of China’s “repression, mass arbitrary detention and high-technology surveillance against the Uyghur people and members of other Muslim minority groups”. The sanctions mean that the companies are prohibited from buying parts and components from US companies without US government permission.
Four of the companies that have been sanctioned belong to the Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision. These are Luopu Haishi Dingxin Electronic Technology Co, Moyu Haishi Electronic Technology Co, Pishan Haishi Yong’an Electronic Technology Co, and Urumqi Haishi Xin’an Electronic Technology Co. Yutian Haishi Meitian Electronic Technology Co has also been added to the blacklist. Hikvision has previously denied being complicit in human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where activists estimate that up to 3 million Uighurs and other ethnic minority Muslims have been interned in reeducation camps.
Hikvision is already subject to US trade restrictions after being added to the entity list in 2019 over its alleged activities in Xinjiang. The company has been accused of providing surveillance equipment to the Chinese government that has been used to monitor and control the Uighur population. The US government has also expressed concerns about the use of Hikvision’s technology in other countries, including Venezuela and Zimbabwe.
The new sanctions are part of a broader effort by the US government to hold China accountable for its treatment of ethnic minority Muslims in Xinjiang. In July, the US State Department issued an advisory warning businesses about the risks of doing business in the region, citing concerns about forced labor and human rights abuses. The US government has also imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and entities involved in the persecution of Uighurs and other ethnic minority Muslims.
China has repeatedly denied allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, describing the reeducation camps as vocational training centers designed to combat extremism and terrorism. The Chinese government has accused the US of interfering in its internal affairs and attempting to destabilize the country. The US has also been criticized by some human rights groups for not doing enough to address human rights abuses in other countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The new sanctions are likely to further strain US-China relations, which have already been strained by a range of issues, including trade, technology, and human rights. The Biden administration has signaled a more confrontational approach to China than the previous administration, but it remains to be seen how effective this approach will be in addressing the complex challenges posed by China’s rise as a global power.