New Act Mandates Blacklisting of Chinese Forensic Institute Within 60 Days Over Human Rights Abuses

The “Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act” is a short, sharp piece of legislation aimed squarely at cutting off U.S. technology and goods to a specific Chinese government entity. It mandates that the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) must add the Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Forensic Science of China to the official Entity List within 60 days of the bill becoming law. This Entity List is essentially a trade blacklist that requires U.S. exporters to get a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping anything to the listed party.

The Trade Blacklist and Why It Matters

Think of the Entity List as the U.S. government’s naughty list for foreign organizations. When an entity is placed on it, it severely restricts their ability to buy U.S.-made components, software, or technology. This bill specifically targets the Institute of Forensic Science of China (and its aliases, like the Forensic Identification Center), because it is reportedly involved in the mass detention, forced labor, and high-tech surveillance used against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region. By cutting off access to U.S. tech, the goal is to hobble their ability to carry out these human rights abuses.

For U.S. companies, especially those in high-tech manufacturing or specialized forensic equipment, this means they must immediately stop shipping products to this institute once the deadline hits. While this is a small loss for the massive U.S. export market, it ensures American technology isn't inadvertently fueling foreign human rights violations.

The Presidential Off-Ramp

This bill doesn't just hand down a mandate; it includes a very specific escape clause for the President. The President, acting through the Secretary of Commerce, can choose not to add the institute to the blacklist, but they only have those same 60 days to do it. Critically, to use this waiver, the President must formally certify to Congress that the Institute is neither acting against U.S. foreign policy interests nor involved in the human rights abuses in Xinjiang. This is a high bar.

This certification requirement is the bill’s way of ensuring accountability. It means that if the President decides to keep the trade flowing, they have to publicly state that the institute is clean and explain that decision to key Congressional committees. It prevents the ban from being quietly dropped and forces the executive branch to own the decision, one way or another.