The United States has banned imports from three Chinese genomics companies, accusing them of helping collect genetic material used to track persecuted ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday that BGI Genomics, MGI Tech and Shenzhen BGI Technology, also known as BGI Group, had been added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List.
The list names firms said to be working with Xinjiang authorities to recruit, transport, transfer, harbour or receive forced labour from among Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and other persecuted groups.
According to the DHS, the companies “helped collect genetic material used to track persecuted ethnic minorities, including people subjected to forced labor, meaning work they could not freely refuse.”
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Washington would not “let companies tied to forced labor and the surveillance of persecuted minorities profit from the American market.”
BGI and MGI rejected the allegations, saying they oppose all forms of forced labour.
On Thursday, Beijing “strongly condemned” the ban, insisting it had “no factual basis.” A spokesperson for China’s commerce ministry accused the US of exploiting the “human rights” issue as a pretext for “unilateral protectionism and bullying.”
China urged Washington to “immediately cease its political manipulation and smear campaigns” and vowed to take necessary measures to protect its interests.
China has repeatedly and strongly denied allegations of rights abuses against the Uyghurs. In 2022, the United Nations warned of possible crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, including the detention of more than a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in camps.
The ban comes a week after the Trump administration proposed new rules restricting investment in Chinese biotechnology firms. Artificial intelligence and computer chips are among other technologies already under US scrutiny, as the two powers continue their economic rivalry.
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