China opposes US for ban on imports from Xinjiang

Beijing:China is firmly opposed to the US law banning imports from Xinjiang and calls on Washington to correct mistakes and stop interfering in the internal affairs of the country, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act that prohibited imports into the United States of goods made with forced labor in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

"On December 23 local time, the US side signed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act into law. This 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," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry also noted that the US had used Xinjiang-related issues to fabricate rumors and provoke incidents. According to the statement, Washington, under the pretext of human rights, engaged in political manipulation and economic coercion in an effort to undermine the prosperity of Xinjiang and to hold back China's development.

"Xinjiang-related issues are purely China's internal affairs. The Chinese government and Chinese people are firmly resolved in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests. We admonish the US to correct the mistake immediately, and stop using Xinjiang-related issues to spread lies, interfere in China's internal affairs and contain China's development," the statement said.

The ministry also stressed that China would react on the issue in the future in light of the development of the situation.

US lawmakers accuse China of arbitrarily imprisoning as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of extrajudicial mass internment camps, where they are forced to produce textiles, electronics, food products, shoes, tea, and handicrafts, according to the legislation.The Chinese government has repeatedly denied all accusations of being engaged in abuses in the Xinjiang region.(UNI/Sputnik)