US adds three Chinese genomics firms to Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List: BGI Genomics, MGI Tech and Shenzhen BGI Technology, accused of aiding Xinjiang genetic testing and forced labour

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Reuters reported on October 28, 2026 that the US Department of Homeland Security had added BGI Genomics Co. Ltd, MGI Tech Co. Ltd and Shenzhen BGI Technology Co. Ltd, which the US says is also known as the BGI Group, to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. The US alleges that the BGI Group and BGI Genomics conduct genetic testing in Xinjiang, working with the government to facilitate the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of forced labour, while MGI Tech provides equipment and related support to the government to conduct the testing. US Customs and Border Protection is instructed to stop goods from companies on the list from entering the US unless exporters can rebut the presumption that they were made with forced labour. [1][2]

Why it matters

This episode is worth recording for four reasons. First, it is the first time the US has added genomics-industry companies to the UFLPA list in a batch, extending the Xinjiang forced-labour issue from traditional sectors such as textiles, solar and tomatoes into the genetic-data field: the US allegation is not only about whether products were made by forced labour, but also about genetic testing itself being used to track persecuted minorities — a dimension earlier list actions rarely touched. Second, the legal consequence of listing reverses the burden of proof: goods are not stopped only after a problem is proven, but are presumed tainted unless the importer proves otherwise, creating direct supply-chain risk for the three companies' US customers and partners. Third, both sides' positions are fully on the record: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the US refuses to let companies tied to forced labour and the surveillance of persecuted minorities profit from the American market; MGI Tech denied the allegations as inconsistent with the facts and stated 'zero tolerance' for forced labour, and the BGI Group denied engaging in forced labour; China's commerce ministry and foreign ministry condemned the move on October 29. This record sets the two sides out side by side without adopting either as established fact. Fourth, the conservative boundary is equally clear: the underlying evidence chain linking genetic testing to forced labour was not published in full with the listing announcement, so this record reports only the listing action and the parties' statements, not the allegations as established facts, hence 'under ongoing verification'. [1][2][3]

Full report

Reuters reported from Washington on October 28 that the Department of Homeland Security had added BGI Genomics, MGI Tech and Shenzhen BGI Technology to the UFLPA Entity List. The list identifies entities that use or facilitate the use of forced labour of Uyghurs and other minorities, or source material from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. US Customs and Border Protection is instructed to stop goods from listed companies from entering the US unless importers can provide sufficient evidence to rebut the presumption that they were made with forced labour. [1]

The US allegations run on two tracks. First, the BGI Group and BGI Genomics conduct genetic testing in the region, working with the government to facilitate the recruitment, transport, transfer, harbouring or receipt of forced labour; the US government believes the BGI Group tests genetic material of people from the region as well as that of plants and animals. Second, MGI Tech provides equipment and related support to the government to conduct the testing. The Homeland Security Department said genetic data and other information could be used in systems that monitor and restrict the rights of minority communities. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the United States refused to let companies tied to forced labour and the surveillance of persecuted minorities profit from the American market. [1][2]

The named companies promptly denied the allegations. Shenzhen-based MGI Tech rejected them as inconsistent with the facts, said it had 'zero tolerance for forced labour in any form', and added that its business activities in the US represented a limited part of its overall business. The BGI Group likewise denied engaging in forced labour. Market analysis carried by Reuters noted that BGI Genomics' US business is limited and the designation was not expected to have a significant impact on its overall operations; the knock-on effect, however, is that US customers and partners may reconsider contracts and transactions because of supply-chain risk. [1][2]

Beijing responded on two levels on October 29. The commerce ministry said China condemned the US decision to add the three companies to the list over alleged Xinjiang 'forced labour', accused Washington of using human rights as a pretext for unilateral protectionism and bullying, said the measures violated the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders and seriously undermined the stability of bilateral economic and trade relations, and vowed to take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing the same day that China urged the United States to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and containing China's development under the guise of human rights. Beijing has consistently denied allegations of forced labour and human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. [3][4]

Verification note and links to this site's records: the core facts — the October 28 listing of the three companies, the two tracks of US allegations, the Customs stop-and-rebut mechanism, the two companies' denials, and Beijing's October 29 commerce-ministry and foreign-ministry responses — all come from Reuters' October 28 dispatch and its syndication plus October 29 reporting of Beijing's responses; the underlying evidence chain linking genetic testing to forced labour was not published in full in the public reporting, so attribution is preserved throughout and the allegations are not presented as established facts. This site's earlier records on the US State Department Trafficking in Persons Report's Tier 3 grading for China and on the Taklamakan aquaculture forced-labour investigation concern the same theme but are separate episodes, listed alongside this record without merging cases. This record is graded 'under ongoing verification' and will follow enforcement of the listing, any company appeals, and further Chinese measures. [1][2][3][4]

Primary sources

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