What This Bill Does
This bill requires three federal officials to review whether ten specific Chinese companies have committed serious human rights abuses against Uyghurs or other Muslim groups in China's Xinjiang region. If the officials determine these companies meet certain criteria, they must add them to a government list of blocked entities and report their findings to Congress.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of State and Attorney General (who must make the determination and report). The ten Chinese companies named in the bill. Congress (which receives the report). U.S. persons and entities that do business with the listed companies (if they are added to the blocked persons list).
Key Provisions
• Within 60 days after the law passes, the Secretary of the Treasury must decide whether any of the ten named Chinese companies either committed serious human rights abuses against Uyghurs or other Muslim groups in Xinjiang, or meet criteria for sanctions under five existing laws and executive orders (Sec. 2(a)(1))
• If the Secretary determines a company is responsible for human rights abuses or meets sanctions criteria, that company must be added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons (Sec. 2(a)(2))
• The Secretary of the Treasury must submit a written report to Congress explaining the reasons for each determination (Sec. 2(a)(3))
• The report to Congress must be unclassified, though it may include a classified section (Sec. 2(c))
What Changes
If this law passes, the Treasury Department will have 60 days to review the ten named Chinese companies and potentially add them to the U.S. government's official blocked persons list, which would restrict their access to the American financial system.
Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1324
To require a determination of whether certain Chinese entities meet the
criteria for the imposition of sanctions, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 1, 2023
Mr. PFLUGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Ju-
diciary, Financial Services, and Ways and Means, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To require a determination of whether certain Chinese enti-
ties meet the criteria for the imposition of sanctions,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Uyghur Human Rights
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Sanctions Review Act’’.
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•HR 1324 IH
SEC. 2. DETERMINATION OF WHETHER CERTAIN CHINESE
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ENTITIES MEET CRITERIA FOR IMPOSITION
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OF SANCTIONS.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the
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date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the
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Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and
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the Attorney General, shall—
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(1) determine whether any entity specified in
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subsection (b)—
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(A) is responsible for or complicit in, or
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has directly or indirectly engaged in, serious
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human rights abuses against Uyghurs or other
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predominantly Muslim ethnic groups in the
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Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the
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People’s Republic of China; or
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(B) meets the criteria for the imposition of
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sanctions under—
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(i) the Global Magnitsky Human
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Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C.
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10101 et seq.);
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(ii) section 6 of the Uyghur Human
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Rights Policy Act of 2020 (Public Law
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116–145; 22 U.S.C. 6901 note);
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(iii) section 105, 105A, 105B, or
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105C of the Comprehensive Iran Sanc-
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tions, Accountability, and Divestment Act
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•HR 1324 IH
of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8514, 8514a, 8514b,
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and 8514c);
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(iv) Executive Order 13818 (50
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U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking the
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property of persons involved in serious
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human rights abuse or corruption), as
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amended on or after the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act; or
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(v) Executive Order 13553 (50 U.S.C.
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1701 note; relating to blocking property of
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certain persons with respect to serious
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human rights abuses by the Government of
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Iran and taking certain other actions), as
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amended on or after the date of the enact-
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ment of this Act;
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(2) if the Secretary of the Treasury determines
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under paragraph (1) that an entity is responsible for
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or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged
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in, serious human rights abuses described in sub-
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paragraph (A) of that paragraph or meets the cri-
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teria for the imposition of sanctions described in
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subparagraph (B) of that paragraph, the Secretary
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shall include the entity on the list of specially des-
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ignated nationals and blocked persons maintained by
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the Office of Foreign Assets Control; and
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•HR 1324 IH
(3) submit to Congress a report on that deter-
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mination that includes the reasons for the deter-
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mination.
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(b) ENTITIES SPECIFIED.—An entity specified in this
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subsection is any of the following:
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(1) Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology
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Co., Ltd.
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(2) Shenzhen Huada Gene Technology Co.,
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Ltd. (BGI Group).
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(3) Tiandy Technologies Co., Ltd.
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(4) Zhejiang Dahua Technology Co., Ltd.
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(5) China Electronics Technology Group Co.
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(6) Zhejiang Uniview Technologies Co., Ltd.
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(7) Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd.
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(8) Baidu, Inc.
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(9) ByteDance Ltd.
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(10) China TransInfo Technology Co., Ltd.
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(c) FORM OF REPORT.—The report required by sub-
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section (a)(3) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but
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may include a classified annex.
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Æ
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