China condemns US imposition of sanctions on 43 Chinese companies on grounds of "forced labor"

China expressed its strong condemnation and firm opposition on Saturday to the United States’ imposition of sanctions on 43 Chinese companies on the grounds of “forced labor,” asserting that the U.S. move “has no factual basis.”

This came in a statement issued by China’s Ministry of Commerce in response to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s announcement yesterday adding 43 Chinese entities to its sanctions list under the “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act,” which primarily affects the Uyghur minority residing in China’s northwestern Xinjiang region.

Xinhua News Agency quoted the statement as saying that Washington continues to arbitrarily impose sanctions on Chinese companies in accordance with its domestic laws, under the guise of “human rights” and “forced labor,” noting that this constitutes “a form of economic coercion.”

The statement pointed out that the United States took this damaging action for China’s interests just a day after the two countries held “frank, in-depth, and constructive” virtual talks on how to maintain stability in their economic and trade relations, emphasizing that the U.S. action violated the understandings reached between the two presidents last May.

The Chinese side concluded by calling on the U.S. to stop smearing Xinjiang, refrain from manipulating issues related to forced labor, and cease the unjust suppression of Chinese companies, pledging to take necessary measures to protect China’s legitimate rights and interests.