June 7 (Reuters) - Chinese battery companies CATL

and Gotion High Tech should be added

immediately to an import ban list, a group of Republican

lawmakers said, alleging their supply chains use forced labor,

the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The lawmakers called for CATL and Gotion, which have ties to

Ford and Volkswagen, to be added to what is known as the entity

list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the report

said.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, Gotion said any

allegation the company "uses or is related to forced labor is

baseless and absolutely false,", adding the selection of

partners is based on "strict review mechanisms and evaluation

criteria."

The list restricts the import of goods tied to what the U.S.

government has characterised as an ongoing genocide of

minorities in China's Xinjiang region.

Ford, Volkswagen and CATL did not immediately respond to a

Reuters request for comment.