FM slams US addition of 37 Chinese entities to import ban list, calls Xinjiang forced labor accusation ‘completely unfounded’
CHINA / DIPLOMACY
FM slams US addition of 37 Chinese entities to import ban list, calls Xinjiang forced labor accusation ‘completely unfounded’
Published: Jan 15, 2025 09:58 PM
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry


Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Wednesday called the US' so-called forced labor accusation "completely unfounded," and reiterated that China will take resolute measures to firmly safeguard Chinese companies' legitimate and lawful rights and interests after the US Department of Homeland Security announced on Tuesday it is adding 37 Chinese entities to its list of those banned from exporting to the US over so-called Xinjiang forced labor practices.

The US Department of Homeland Security announced in a release published on its website on Tuesday the addition of 37 entities to its so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List over alleged "forced labor" practices in China's Xinjiang region, "marking the largest single expansion of the list to date."

Regarding the report, at a regular press conference on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that the US chooses to enact and enforce the malicious legislation on Xinjiang and blacklist Chinese entities on the basis of false narratives. The move is designed to interfere in China's internal affairs, harm China's interests and hold back China's development. 

"We will take resolute measures to firmly safeguard Chinese companies' legitimate and lawful rights and interests," Guo said.

The companies include Huafu Fashion Co, one of the world's largest textile manufacturers, and 25 of its subsidiaries, according to Reuters.

The newly listed companies also include Donghai JA Solar Technology Co, which develops solar-energy products with polysilicon made in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Hongyuan Green Energy Co, which sources polysilicon from the region, according to the department.
Zijin Mining Group Co and three of its subsidiaries, which source and extract zinc, copper and other metals from the region, are among the mining companies.

The latest additions bring the total number of companies on the list to 144 since the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was signed into law in December 2021, Reuters reported.
The US restrictions on these industries only reflect its failure to make its own green energy transition, rather than posing a real threat to China, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

Such an approach will not only fail to stop China's development, but it will add more negative factors to China-US relations, Lü said.
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