A farmer picks cotton in a field in Hami, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in the fall of 2020. (PILATES / FOR CHINA DAILY)
BEIJING – China's top legislature and top political advisory body on Friday expressed resolute opposition to the US signing of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law.
The US act fabricates the so-called "forced labor" issue in China's Xinjiang and grossly interferes in China's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights, said a statement issued by the Foreign Affairs Committee of China's National People's Congress.
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The Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPPCC National Committee also issued a similar statement, saying that the US move seriously violates basic norms governing international relations.
"Should the United States choose to go down the wrong path, China will take resolute and forceful countermeasures," read the NPC statement.
Noting that the policies and practices concerning employment and job security in Xinjiang comply with China's Constitution and relevant laws and conform to international labor and human rights standards, the statement said that there is no such thing as "forced labor" in Xinjiang.
We urge the US side to stop using so-called forced labor issues in Xinjiang to spread lies about China and undermine enterprises and industries in Xinjiang.
Foreign Affairs Committee, CPPCC National Committee
In total disregard of the truth, some US politicians suppressed Xinjiang enterprises under the pretext of the so-called "forced labor" issue, which fully exposed their ill intentions of "containing China with Xinjiang" and curbing China's development, it said, adding that their plot will certainly find no support and never succeed.
Stressing the country's efforts to protect citizens' right to employment and to prevent and eliminate forced labor in any form, the CPPCC National Committee’s foreign affairs committee, meanwhile, said the employment policies and practices in Xinjiang are in accordance with China's Constitution and laws, as well as the international standards of labor and human rights.
The US side has chosen to ignore the widely recognized fact that people in Xinjiang enjoy political stability, economic development and happy lives, the statement said.
The US has repeatedly spread misinformation about Xinjiang and engaged in political manipulation and economic coercion under the pretext of human rights, fully exposing its aim to contain China's development through issues related to Xinjiang, it said in the statement.
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"We urge the US side to stop using so-called forced labor issues in Xinjiang to spread lies about China and undermine enterprises and industries in Xinjiang," it said.
Manipulating Xinjiang issues won’t stop the people of Xinjiang from pursuing better lives, and it will not slow the historical trend of China's continuous development, it added.
COMMERCE MINISTRY REJECTS US BULLYING
China's Ministry of Commerce deplores and firmly rejected the US economic bullying as the US side signed the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" into law, the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
The US act classifies all products produced in Xinjiang as "forced labor" products and bans imports of products related to Xinjiang, it said.
Ignoring facts and under the pretext of "human rights," the US side has been resorting to unilateralism, protectionism and bullying, seriously undermining market principles, violating the rules of the World Trade Organization, seriously harming the vital interests of businesses and consumers in China and the United States, and undermining the stability of global industrial and supply chains and global economic recovery, said the ministry.
The US side's allegation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang is fabricated and has no factual basis, it added.
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China's criminal law clearly forbids forced labor. Under the guise of the human rights issue, the US has made groundless accusations and hyped the myth of "forced labor" and other issues concerning Xinjiang in order to smear China's image, interfere in China's internal affairs, curb China's development, and undermine the prosperity and stability of Xinjiang, the statement said.
China will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development, as well as the legitimate rights and interests of people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, it said.