Four US Congressmen have called for an import ban on products from Fufeng, a bio-fermentation products manufacturer with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Congressmen, Rep. Jim Banks, Rep. John Moolenaar, Rep. Dusty Johnson, and Rep. Brad Finstad, wrote a letter to Secretaries Blinken and Mayorkas on October 26, requesting an investigation into the company for violations of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 (UHRPA).
According to the letter, Fufeng's use of forced labor and its proximity to "re-education" camps and ongoing human rights violations in Xinjiang raise significant concerns. The letter requests an import ban as well as a sanctions investigation into the company.
The congressmen mention the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed by President Biden in 2021 which "applies a rebuttable presumption that goods derived in whole or in part from the XUAR use forced labor." Fufeng's operations, employing nearly 1,800 individuals in Xinjiang, its close ties to the CCP, and its partnership with a subsidiary (Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps) that raises suspicions of forced labor suggest a strong case for a UHRPA investigation, according to the letter. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), is "the paramilitary corporate conglomerate that executes the CCP’s policies in the XUAR," the letter states.
Despite past brief detention of Fufeng's products by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), it is disconcerting that these shipments resumed, seemingly defying UFLPA and Section 307 regulations. The congressmen suggested the UFLPA has failed to be enforced in the past and more must be done. The letter stated the UFLPA is "insufficient to hold users of forced labor accountable so long as this administration delays in applying penalties for forced labor to PRC entities like the Fufeng Group."
The request for an import ban and investigation into Fufeng comes as part of ongoing efforts to address human rights violations in Xinjiang and hold companies accountable for their ties to the CCP. The Congressmen's letter highlights the need for stronger enforcement of legislation like the UFLPA and UHRPA to ensure that companies involved in human rights abuses face consequences for their actions.
