China strongly opposes and condemns the United States' fabricating and spreading disinformation about Xinjiang, and urges it to revoke its illegal and unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Wednesday.
Lin made the remarks at a regular press briefing in response to a notice from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, in which Washington added three Chinese companies to a list that bars imports from those firms on the grounds of alleged "forced labor."
He noted that the remarkable achievements in Xinjiang's development are evident, and the central government's policies have deeply resonated with the people.
"We have repeatedly cited a wealth of figures and facts to refute the baseless narratives of 'forced labor' and 'genocide,'" Lin said, adding that those narratives are lies concocted by a small number of anti-China individuals to disrupt Xinjiang, smear China and impede China's development.
The United States insists on implementing unjust laws related to Xinjiang, and adding Chinese companies to sanction lists based on lies, which severely interferes in China's internal affairs, disrupts the normal order of the market, and grossly violates international trade rules and the basic norms of international relations, Lin said.
It is, in fact, an attempt to create "forced unemployment" in Xinjiang, using human rights as a pretext to infringe upon the rights to survival, employment and development of the people in Xinjiang, and its ulterior motives of containing China are glaringly evident, Lin added.
He said that the United States is facing a multitude of domestic issues, such as racial discrimination, gun violence and drug abuse. If the country really cares about human rights, it should take measures to address these chronic problems, rather than interfering in other countries' affairs and abusing sanctions, Lin added.
"We urge the U.S. side to immediately stop smearing China, revoke its illegal unilateral sanctions against Chinese companies, and cease interfering in China's internal affairs and undermining China's interests under the guise of human rights," said the spokesperson.
Lin added that China will continue to take resolute measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies.
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