Enacted in 2021, the UFLPA prohibits goods made with forced labour involving Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China from entering the US market.
The DHS, acting on behalf of the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), stated that the newly listed entities operate in sectors identified as enforcement priorities, including apparel, cotton and related downstream products.
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It claims the 43 additional firms have direct links to Xinjiang or engage in activities such as sourcing raw materials from, or cooperating with authorities in, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
The entities are alleged to participate in the production and distribution of goods made at least partially using forced labour by Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other minority groups.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin commented: “Today we are adding 43 Chinese companies to the UFLPA Entity List, and DHS will ensure their products do not enter our country.
“The American worker must not be undercut and cheated by foreign companies that use slave labour. Our job is to defend the Homeland, and that includes protecting our citizens from unfair competition that not only disadvantages Americans, but harms human dignity.”
The additional companies increases the UFLPA Entity List by 30%, taking it to a total of 187 companies.
The US Customs and Border Protection has imposed a rebuttable presumption as of 3 August 2026, under which goods produced by the newly listed companies are presumed to be prohibited from entering the US. This applies to entities whose activities involve sourcing materials from Xinjiang or working with the region’s authorities in ways described under the law.
Importers must now provide evidence if they wish to demonstrate that goods from these companies are not linked to forced labour or the Xinjiang region.
In response, China’s Ministry of Commerce condemned the move, describing it as groundless and characterising it as an act of economic coercion, according to Asia News Network.
A ministry spokesperson said the US decision undermines the rights of Chinese companies and disrupts the stability of international industrial and supply chains.
The spokesperson added that Chinese and US officials had discussed bilateral trade concerns in an online meeting a day earlier, calling for the maintenance of a stable trade relationship.
The FLETF, which oversees enforcement of the UFLPA, is led by the DHS and includes representatives from the Departments of State, Labor, Commerce, Justice, and Treasury, as well as the Office of the US Trade Representative.
Since the UFLPA came into effect, US Customs and Border Protection has withheld over 24,300 shipments under this expanded mandate, with a total value approaching $1bn, preventing goods linked to forced labour from entering US markets.
