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US move to add two Chinese entities for so-called forced labor groundless: MOFCOM

Global Times

By Global Times Published: Jun 12, 2023 10:16 PM

The recent announcement by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it has added two Chinese entities to the "entity list" for the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act lacks factual basis, transparency, and is an act of unilateral bullying disguised as "human rights," and China firmly opposes this, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Monday.

The DHS announced on June 9 the new actions targeting Chinese companies over the alleged "forced labor" claim. The US government department's statement said that the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force, led by the DHS, added two China-based companies to the "entity list" of the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), effective on Monday.

It means that 22 Chinese companies are currently on the UFLPA Entity List.

In responding to the DHS's move, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that there is no so-called "forced labor" or "persecution of ethnic minorities" in China's Xinjiang.

The US should immediately cease political manipulation and smear attacks, stop unjustified suppression of Chinese companies, and refrain from undermining the prosperity and stability of Xinjiang, the spokesperson said.

China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises and protect national sovereignty, security, and development interests, the spokesperson noted.

The UFLPA, signed into law by US President Biden in December 2021, prohibits goods from being imported into the US that are either produced in Xinjiang or by entities on the UFLPA Entity List, unless the importer can prove, by clear and convincing evidence, the goods were not produced with "forced labor," according to the DHS.

The UFLPA, widely dubbed an "evil bill" designed to suppress Chinese products and block goods made with "forced labor" in China's Xinjiang from entering the US market, has been in effect since June 21, 2022.

The bill, based on groundless claims, with the ultimate ill-intention to crack down on Xinjiang's vital industries, has sparked wide criticism from both home and abroad, with experts saying that the legislation represents an extension of the US' unilateral sanctions imposed on other nations, demonstrating a disregard for its international legal responsibilities and the fundamental principles of international law.

The US' attempts to expel China from the global industrial chain also result in exorbitant costs that are eventually borne by consumers, particularly those residing in the US, observers have said.

In a previous statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning in February, she noted that the US' use of the non-existent "forced labor" issue as an excuse to illegally confiscate products from China's Xinjiang destabilizes the international supply chain, and will ultimately harm the interests of the US itself.