Beijing challenges addition of three firms to US list
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ANG
China opposes the addition of three Chinese companies to a US list targeting entities accused of using forced labour in Xinjiang. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce called the sanctions unfounded and denounced protectionism presented as a defence of human rights, according to Xinhua.
China has “strongly” condemned the United States’ decision to add three Chinese entities to its list of companies suspected of using forced Uyghur labour, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency, which cited an unidentified spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. Beijing said the measure had “no factual basis” and firmly opposed it.
The spokesperson said there was no forced labour in China and that ethnic groups in Xinjiang enjoyed rights guaranteed by law. The spokesperson accused Washington of using human rights issues to pursue a protectionist policy and intimidate Chinese companies, according to Xinhua.
China has made formal representations to the United States and taken retaliatory measures after other Chinese companies were recently added to the list. Beijing warned that it would take the necessary measures to defend its interests, while saying that the new sanctions targeting biomedical technology companies harmed the stability of economic and trade relations between the two countries.
