The United States Department of Commerce added 11 more Chinese companies to the blacklist of entities that cannot do business with the country. At issue is his alleged involvement in the repression of the Uyghur community and other Muslim minorities in China. Among the organizations targeted is O-Film, one of Apple's leading suppliers of touch screen modules for photographic screens and lenses.
In a statement, Wilbur Ross, secretary of trade for the United States, said the Chinese government is actively cracking down on minority Muslims through mass detention campaigns, forced labor and DNA abuse. The official stressed that the addition of the 11 companies to the blacklist guarantees that American goods and technologies will not be used in the despicable offensive of the Chinese Communist Party.
What companies have been added to the US blacklist?
The Commerce Department indicated that nine of the targeted companies are accused of being complicit in the forced labor campaigns put in place by the Chinese government. Xinjiang Silk Road BGI and Beijing Liuhe BGI are now on the list for carrying out abusive genetic analyzes.
- Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd.
- Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd.
- Hefei Meiling Co. Ltd.
- Hetian Haolin Hair Accessories Co. Ltd.
- Hetian Taida Apparel Co., Ltd.
- KTK Group
- Nanjing Synergy Textiles Co. Ltd.
- Nanchang O-Film Tech
- Tanyuan Technology Co. Ltd.
- Xinjiang Silk Road BGI
- Beijing Liuhe BGI
In addition to being a major supplier to Apple, having manufactured components for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X cameras, O-Film works with a number of North American companies such as Microsoft, HP, Dell, Amazon and General Motors .
In an international press release, Apple said that as soon as it learned of the possible links from the repressed O-Film of Muslim minorities in China, it immediately started an investigation. We found no evidence of forced labor on the production lines, said a company spokesman, adding that Apple will continue to monitor the situation.
The United States Department of Commerce's decision comes after the country's Department of Defense has published a list of Chinese companies operating on American soil accused of having links with the Chinese army.
The list includes companies such as Huawei, Hangzhou Hikvision, China Railway Construction Corporation, and China Telecommunications Corporation, among other companies linked to the shipbuilding, telecommunications, aerospace and even nuclear energy sectors.