China vowed to take “necessary measures” because the United States blacklisted companies suspected of abusing Uyghurs

China said on Sunday that it would take “necessary measures” in response to the US blacklisting it Chinese companies Regarding their alleged abuse Uyghur And other Muslim minorities.

The Ministry of Commerce stated that the US move constituted “unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies and a serious violation of international economic and trade rules.”

The Ministry of Commerce stated that China will “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

No details were provided, but China denied allegations of arbitrary detention and forced labor in the remote western Xinjiang region, and increasingly responded to sanctions on companies and officials with its own visa and financial contact bans.

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The U.S. Department of Commerce said in a statement on Friday that these electronics and technology companies and other companies helped facilitate “Beijing’s repression, mass detention, and high-tech surveillance activities against Xinjiang’s Muslim minorities.”

The penalties prohibit Americans from selling equipment or other goods to these companies. The United States has increased financial and trade penalties for China’s treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities, and has suppressed democracy in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.

Since 2017, the Chinese government has detained 1 million or more people in Xinjiang. Critics accuse China of operating forced labor camps and torture and forced sterilization because it allegedly attempts to assimilate Muslim minorities.

The U.S. Department of Commerce stated that 14 companies were included on its entity list for their transactions in Xinjiang, and another 5 companies were included on the entity list for assisting the Chinese armed forces.

Minister of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement issued on October 19, 2016: “The Ministry of Commerce remains firmly committed to taking strong and decisive actions to combat human rights violations committed in Xinjiang. Or an entity that uses American technology to promote China’s destabilizing military modernization efforts.” The department’s website.