By Karen Freifeld
(Reuters) – The United States on Friday banned imports from China-based printer maker Ninestar Corporation and its eight Zhuhai-based subsidiaries over alleged human rights abuses in China, according to a post for the Federal Register.
The United States also prohibited imports from Xinjiang Zhongtai Chemical Co Ltd, the posting said.
Ninestar, whose website says it is the world’s fourth-largest laser printer manufacturer, and Xingjang Zhongtai Chemical are being kept out of the U.S. supply chain for participating in business practices that target China’s Uyghurs and other persecuted groups, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
The companies could not immediately be reached for comment.
UN experts and rights groups estimate that over a million people, mainly Uyghurs and Muslim minorities, have been detained in camps in China’s western Xinjiang region in recent years, with many saying they were subject to ideological training and abuse.
China has denied all accusations of abuse.
(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Sharon Singleton)
