US targets two China-based firms over forced labor practices -DHS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will ban goods from two China-based companies as part of its effort to eliminate the use of forced labor practices in the U.S. supply chain, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

The action targets Camel Group Co., a battery manufacturer, Ltd. and Chenguang Biotech Group Co., Ltd., a spice and extract manufacturer.

The move aims to promote accountability for "the ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity" against Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the department said.

"We will continue to work with all of our partners to keep goods made with forced labor from Xinjiang out of U.S. commerce while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade," Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

Twenty four entities have been added to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List, DHS said.

(Reporting by Jasper Ward; editing by Rami Ayyub and Doina Chiacu)