China rejects US forced labour allegations, condemns sanctions on firms

China has rejected US allegations that Chinese companies are involved in forced labour, calling the claims unfounded and accusing Washington of using domestic legislation to impose unilateral sanctions on Chinese businesses.

In a statement published on its official website, China's Ministry of Commerce said the United States was applying its own laws extraterritorially to target Chinese enterprises, describing the measures as a form of "economic coercion," Caliber.Az reports. 

According to the ministry, the sanctions infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

Beijing also reiterated its opposition to all forms of forced labour and dismissed US allegations concerning the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The ministry said Xinjiang remains a stable and prosperous region and maintained that there are no instances of forced labour there, contrary to claims made by the United States.

A reminder that earlier, on July 31, the US added 43 companies to a trade blacklist over alleged human rights abuses involving Uyghurs and other minority groups in China’s Xinjiang region.

The action marks the first time companies have been added to the list under the Trump administration and increases the total number of listed entities from 144 to 187. It also represents the largest single expansion of the list since the law was enacted in December 2021.

By Sabina Mammadli