BEIJING – China on Thursday said a U.S. order to halt imports of cotton and tomatoes from its Xinjiang region over alleged human rights abuses will disrupt global supply chains and harm businesses and consumers.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian repeated China’s denial that it has trampled on the rights of Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and forced them to work on government-owned farms and in other industries. “The so-called forced labor issue is a lie of the century fabricated out of thin air," Zhao said at a daily briefing.
The U.S. move violated “international trade rules and market economy principles," while disrupting global industrial and supply chains, Zhao said.