China slams US 'bullying' over forced labour concerns

Beijing on Tuesday slammed the United States for "bullying" after US officials sidelined over two dozen more China-based companies citing concerns over forced labour.

US officials on Friday added 29 entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, meaning that goods wholly or partially made by these firms will be restricted from entering the United States.

The new additions bring the total number on the list to 107, according to the US Department of Homeland Security.

A spokesperson for China's ministry of commerce said in a statement posted online: "The US has no factual basis for bullying in the name of 'human rights', which is a typical act of economic coercion."

China said it had "lodged solemn representations" with the US and that it "firmly condemns" the move.

According to US officials, the companies were found to either source materials from China's northwestern Xinjiang region or work with its local government "to recruit, transfer, and receive workers, including Uyghurs, out of Xinjiang," said the US Trade Representative's office.

Beijing has been accused of incarcerating over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities in Xinjiang.

Officials deny the allegations.

"China firmly opposes forced labor, and there is no such thing as 'forced labor' in Xinjiang," the commerce ministry spokesperson said.

The newly-targeted companies make goods ranging from agricultural to alumium products, along with polysilicon materials.

Among them are companies tied to Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL and China-linked Gotion too, a bipartisan US congressional committee noted on Friday.

In the commerce ministry statement, China vowed to take "necessary measures" to safeguard the "legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises".