On Friday, July 31st, 2026, the White House added 43 Chinese companies to a blacklist aimed at blocking imports made with alleged forced labour in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. This marks the third time in the week that Washington has announced measures targeting China.

The Department of Homeland Security, enforcing the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA), increased its entity list by 30 percent. The expanded list includes companies across various sectors such as food, cotton, pharmaceuticals, metals, and lithium production.

Passed by Congress in 2021, the UFLPA targets imports from Xinjiang to prevent goods produced under alleged forced labour conditions from entering the US market. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated, "The newly listed entities are connected to the production and sale of goods made in Xinjiang or with the forced labour of Uygurs and other groups specified in the UFLPA," citing sectors including seafood, gold, copper, transportation infrastructure, aluminium, tomatoes, cotton, garments, and frozen food.

Among the companies added is Hunan Aihua Group, one of China’s largest capacitor manufacturers, which the US Federal Register notes is believed to source chemical foil and other materials from Xinjiang. Another notable company is Chacha Food Co, which exports snack foods such as nuts and roasted seeds to nearly 50 countries and regions.

These actions reflect ongoing US efforts to address concerns over forced labour practices in Xinjiang.

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