US bans imports from 3 Chinese biotech companies over forced labor allegations

The US has blocked imports from three Chinese biotech firms, citing alleged links to forced labor in Xinjiang. BGI Group and its affiliates are affected by the ban. The companies are accused of sourcing materials from Xinjiang or collaborating with the regional government to exploit persecuted ethnic groups.

The Department of Homeland Security has added the companies to a trade blacklist, amid rising economic and tech competition between the US and China. The move precedes a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. BGI Group has rejected the allegations, denying any involvement in forced labor.

The US has taken action under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. The law aims to prevent human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where the Chinese government has been accused of repression and forced labor against ethnic minorities, including Uyghurs, with 187 entities now on the blacklist.