After the US Senate passed a new law barring imports from the Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove they were produced without forced labor, China on Friday said that it would take all necessary measures to safeguard its institutions and enterprises, Associated Press reported.
In a daily briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that the measure approved on Thursday “indicates that the US has no scruples about smearing China by every means.”
“The relevant actions seriously undermine the principles of market economy and international economic and trade rules, and seriously damage the interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises,” Wang added.
China strongly deplores and rejects that and urges the US to immediately correct its mistake, the spokesperson requested, adding that “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese institutions and enterprises.”
This law is the latest in a series enhancing US penalties over China’s alleged systemic and widespread abuse of ethnic and religious minorities in the west, especially in the Xinjiang region’s predominantly Muslim Uyghurs.
According to reports, Us President Joe Biden is expected to sign the law after overcoming initial hesitation from the White House and had announced new sanctions on Thursday. These sanctions target several Chinese biotech and surveillance companies, a leading drone manufacturer and government entities for their actions in the Xinjiang region.
(Inputs from AP)
