A man guides a staff member in embroidery works at a handicraft making cooperative in Aketao County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 20, 2020. Over 6,000 residents have relocated to the relocation settlements in Aketao County from less hospitable areas in the deep Kunlun Mountain. In response to the employment of relocated residents, local authorities have put great efforts into developing the traditional handicraft industry, as a way to support the poverty alleviation efforts. (Xinhua/Gao Han)

China has lodged a stern representation to the US and expressed strong opposition against US lawmakers from the House of Representatives for passing a bill accusing China of "using forced labor" and vowing to ban products from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

FM spokesperson Wang Wenbin told a press conference on Wednesday that China urges the US to stop hyping so-called forced labor issues and use issues related to Northwest China's Xinjiang to interfere in China's domestic affairs.

US lawmakers from the House on Tuesday passed the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act, which aims to bar all products from China's Xinjiang. The bill now goes to the Senate. The bill requires any importer of Xinjiang-sourced products to prove they were not made using "forced labor."

We urge the US to take the right view on the facts and stop reviewing negative bills related to Xinjiang. China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate interests of Chinese enterprises and protect the country's sovereignty and right to develop, Wang said. 

Wang said that the State Council recently released a white paper on employment and labor rights protection in Xinjiang that tells the facts of how the region is working to improve local residents' rights to employment.

Some people in the US claim they care about minorities in Xinjiang but overlook the regional government's efforts in safeguarding human rights and increasing employment. They maliciously hype affairs in Xinjiang and use these as excuses to attack and sanction companies from the region, revealing their true purpose of using the issues to obstruct the development of Xinjiang and sow discord among different ethnic groups in China and interfere in China's internal affairs, Wang said. 

Global Times