World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
US blocks imports from three Chinese genomics companies over forced-labour claims
The US has blocked imports from three Chinese genomics companies over alleged links to forced labour in Xinjiang.
The companies are BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech, which operate in the biotechnology and genetic testing sector.
US officials say the firms helped enable forced labour involving Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, including through genetic testing and support for regional government programmes.
The companies deny the allegations, and China’s government rejects US claims about forced labour in Xinjiang.
Under the US law behind the ban, goods from listed companies are presumed to involve forced labour unless exporters can show otherwise.
The move adds to US-China tensions over trade and technology during a fragile trade truce.
The import restrictions are now in effect, and the US blacklist contains 190 entities according to one account.
The United States added BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech to a trade blacklist over alleged links to forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region.
US Customs and Border Protection is to block goods from the companies unless exporters rebut the presumption that they were made with forced labour.
The Department of Homeland Security said the companies supported genetic testing in Xinjiang that could help enable surveillance and forced labour.
The companies rejected the allegations, and China’s embassy in Washington called on the United States to stop what it described as attacks on Chinese companies.
The additions bring the number of entities on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act list to 190, according to the Straits Times.
- Who
- The US government added BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech to a trade blacklist.
- What
- It is blocking imports from the companies over alleged links to forced labour.
- When
- The additions were announced on October 28, 2026; the AP said the restrictions would start Thursday.
- Where
- The allegations concern China’s Xinjiang region; the import restrictions apply in the United States.
- Why
- The US says the companies sourced materials from Xinjiang or supported genetic testing linked to forced labour and repression.
US government
BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech, with China’s embassy rejecting the allegations
Alleged conduct
US government
The US says the companies sourced materials from Xinjiang or helped the regional government recruit or otherwise facilitate forced labour.
BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech, with China’s embassy rejecting the allegations
BGI Group says it has not engaged in forced labour; MGI Tech says the allegations are inconsistent with the facts, and China’s embassy rejects them.
Genetic testing
US government
The US says testing and genetic data can support surveillance and repression of ethnic minorities.
BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech, with China’s embassy rejecting the allegations
BGI Group and MGI Tech deny forced-labour claims; the sources do not report a specific response from them to the US claims about genetic-data surveillance.
President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law.
China banned imports of sequencing equipment from Illumina, according to the Straits Times.
The Trump administration expanded the blacklist by 43 Chinese companies, bringing it to 187 entities, the AP reported.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the additions of the three genomics companies to the list.
US Customs and Border Protection was due to begin barring goods from the companies, according to the AP.
- Companies listed
- BGI Group, BGI Genomics and MGI Tech
- Region at issue
- Xinjiang, China
- Entities on list after additions
- 190, according to the Straits Times
- US law
- Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
- US announcement
- October 28, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
shows an unwillingness to separate profit motives from basic codes of human dignity
has not engaged in any form of forced labor.
We have zero tolerance for forced labour in any form,
China has always opposed forced labour and, at present, Xinjiang enjoys social stability, economic prosperity and a peaceful life for its people.