China on Friday criticised the United States’ (US) decision to sign the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act into law and warned that the moves will “undermine the stability of global industrial and supply chains, disrupt international trade order, and hurt the US’ own interests and credibility.”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular press conference that the act “maliciously denigrates the human rights situation in China’s Xinjiang in disregard of facts and truth.” “It seriously violates international law and basic norms governing international relations and grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs. China deplores and firmly rejects this,” he added.
Last Thursday, US President Joe Biden had signed into law a bill that aims to punish the Chinese government for its treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, particularly the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region.
The Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act imposes a blanket ban on imports from China’s Xinjiang region and demands companies to provide “clear and convincing evidence” against the use of forced labour in their supply chain. The law designates goods such as cotton, tomatoes, and polysilicon, a solar-energy component, under “high priority” due to their strong association with forced labour in Xinjiang.
Addressing the allegations of forced labour and genocide in Xinjiang, Zhao added that they were “nothing but vicious lies concocted by anti-China forces.” “The fact that residents of all ethnic groups there enjoy happy and fulfilling lives is witnessed by all,” the spokesperson asserted.
He further accused the US of “engaging in political manipulation and economic coercion” by “using Xinjiang-related issues to create rumours and make trouble.” Zhao reasoned that the US is “seeking to undermine Xinjiang’s prosperity and stability and contain China’s development under the pretext of human rights” because “Xinjiang-related issues are not human rights issues at all, but in essence about countering violent terrorism and separatism.”
Earlier this month, the US blacklisted eight Chinese tech companies for helping their government carry out “biometric surveillance and tracking” of the Uyghur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region. The Biden administration also announced a diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics over China’s human rights abuses.
In a parallel event, China recently appointed Ma Xingrui as the new Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang. In his acceptance speech, the leader pledged to maintain a focus on social stability in the province and “firmly promote continuous and long-term social stability in Xinjiang and never allow any reversal for the hard-won stability.”
Chen Quanguo, the previous holder of the post, had been sanctioned by Washington for his role in “implementing a comprehensive surveillance, detention and indoctrination programme.”