Peoria Standard

Washington, D.C. – In a letter sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16), a member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, revealed new evidence implicating Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion for utilizing state-sponsored slave labor and perpetuating the ongoing Uyghur genocide. LaHood joined Select Committee on the CCP Chairman John Moolenaar, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Marco Rubio, and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green in the effort.

In a statement, Rep. LaHood said, "As companies linked to the CCP receive billions of taxpayer dollars in federal and state subsidies, we have an obligation to ensure they abide by federal law and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The Select Committee's investigation reveals damning information about the entanglement of Gotion's supply chains in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The Select Committee and my office will continue to conduct necessary oversight to protect Illinois taxpayers from the influence of these malign activities and human rights violations."

Products made with Uyghur forced labor are strictly prohibited from entering the United States. The Department of Homeland Security maintains a Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List identifying companies in Xinjiang that have engaged in forced labor. These companies and their products are blacklisted from the United States.

In the letter, LaHood and the members write:

"Newly discovered information indicates that Gotion maintains extensive business relationships in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and in other provinces or regions in the People's Republic of China (PRC) with companies directly linked to forced labor and involved in the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic groups..."

"Gotion’s supply chains are deeply compromised by links to entities whose goods, wares, articles, or merchandise are mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in XUAR. As a result, we request it be added to the UFLPA Entity List and its shipments prohibited from entry to the United States."

Gotion sources aluminum foil from a subsidiary of Xinjiang Nonferrous, a CCP state-owned enterprise known for its prolific use of forced labor, including forced housing of Han men with Uyghur women and families.

Gotion sources material from Xinjiang Joinworld, a company that participated in ‘poverty alleviation through labor transfer.’ These programs are often a disguise for forced labor. A local CCP chapter even awarded a Xinjiang Joinworld employee an award for implementing the CCP’s ethnic policies.

Gotion sources lithium-ion and other materials from companies with deep connections to XPCC, the sanctioned Chinese paramilitary organization that contributes to the Uyghur genocide.

You can read the letter on Gotion HERE.

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