China on Saturday strongly condemned the United States for adding more than 40 Chinese entities to the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, characterising the action as economic coercion and pledging to protect the commercial interests of its domestic enterprises.
A spokesperson for China's Ministry of Commerce stated that the US decision lacked factual justification, accusing Washington of leveraging allegations of forced labor and human rights violations as a pretext to enforce unilateral sanctions under domestic law. The ministry noted that these restrictive measures infringe upon the lawful rights of Chinese businesses while disrupting the stability of international supply chains and global industrial networks.
Beijing particularly criticized the timing of the announcement, pointing out that the sanctions were issued just one day after senior Chinese and US economic officials conducted a video conference described by Beijing as candid and constructive regarding the stabilization of bilateral trade relations. Chinese officials argued that the immediate deployment of new sanctions departed significantly from the broader diplomatic understanding reached between the two nations.
Reiterating its official stance, China asserted that it strictly opposes forced labor and rejected all claims concerning labor abuses in the northwestern Xinjiang region. The Commerce Ministry urged the United States to cease using human rights concerns to target Chinese companies and confirmed that Beijing will implement all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights of affected firms.
The diplomatic reaction follows the decision by the US Department of Homeland Security to add 43 Chinese companies to its import restricted list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. The action represents the largest single addition to the entity list since the legislation was originally enacted, barring goods produced by the named companies from entering the United States unless importers can prove the items were not manufactured using forced labor.
