On October 7, the Department of Commerce blacklisted 28 Chinese entities, including government entities and commercial companies specializing in surveillance technology, in response to their involvement in human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region. Because these companies are now on the entity list, which is administered by the Bureau of Industry and Security, they are barred from buying products and components from U.S. companies absent explicit government approval.
Q1: What is ground-breaking about this designation?
A1: The United States can add entities to the list if they act contrary to its foreign policy interests. This is the first time that human rights explicitly were declared a foreign policy interest resulting in placement on the entity list, marking a significant milestone for human rights in this space.
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