US bans imports from Chinese investor in Serbia, citing rights abuses, 15 January 2025

The US Department of Homeland Security, DHS...banned imports from a Chinese mining company that has made important investments in Serbia over alleged human-rights abuses.

It added Zijin Mining Group to a US blacklist under the terms of the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act.

The DHS said Zijin and its three subsidiaries in the Xinjiang region in China work with China’s authorities to recruit, transport, transfer, harbour, or receive ethnic minority workers such as Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and Kyrgyz...

...[A] record 37 entities were added to the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act blacklist, marking the largest single expansion of the list to date.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said that with the sanctions, the US is demonstrating “our relentless fight against the cruelty of forced labour, our unwavering commitment to basic human rights, and our tireless defense of a free, fair, and competitive market”...

Zijin Mining Group in Belgrade told BIRN that it operates “in accordance with all applicable labour laws and international standards for the protection of workers’ rights, including working hours, wages, health care, housing and other aspects”.

“In addition, we ensure that all our employees have multiple channels for submitting complaints anonymously, such as specialized email addresses and secure mailboxes,” it added...