US Adds 34 More Entities to Blacklist, 14 Chinese Enterprises In List

Close on the heels of its move to impose sanctions on Chinese firms with a presence in that country’s Xinjiang province, for alleged human rights abuses, the US commerce department has expanded the scope of its actions now. The latest is a fresh list of 34 entities, 14 of whom are Chinese, which have been added to the government blacklist. This effectively forbids US enterprises to deal with these firms without a US government license. It is not clear how many, or any solar equipment manufacturers figure in the new blacklist yet.

The US action comes at a time when the solar equipment market has been roiled by price volatility not seen in years. China-based firms, which are by far the dominant players in the market with a overall share of over 70 percent for all inputs, has been hiking prices, blaming it on shortage of polysilicon, to rise in metal prices, freight costs and more.

The scope of the latest list is far ore wide ranging, with firms in sectors as ide ranging as data security, to industrial equipment and telecom gear targeted, according to reports. The full list does not seem to be available on the department website yet.

We do know that the entities have been listed under 43 entries. 14 have a presence in Xinjiang, six are Russian possibly, while two entities each in Canada, Iran and Lebanon have been listed. Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the U.K host a single entity each in the list, while five entities are listed under multiple destinations. when taken altogether, 23 out of the 34 seem to be Chinese owned, based on reports.

The Uighurs, a muslim minority in Xinjiang province are the reason behind these actions, as the US accuses China of repressing them and subjecting them to very serious human rights abuses. It’s a claim that Chinese firms have steadfastly denied, with some even offering inspection of their  plants in the province to independent auditors.