China vows measures against US sanctions

China said on Tuesday it would take “necessary measures” after the US government imposed trade sanctions on 11 companies it says are implicated in human rights abuses in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

US Department of Commerce said on Monday the addition of the 11 companies to its Entity List will limit their access to US goods and technology. It gave no details of what goods might be affected.

The Chinese foreign ministry rejected the sanctions as interference in its affairs and an attempt by Washington to hurt Chinese companies.

“What the United States is concerned about is not the human rights issues at all, but to suppress Chinese companies, undermine the stability of Xinjiang, and smear China’s Xinjiang policies,” said spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

“We urge the United States to correct its mistakes, revoke relevant decisions and stop interfering in China’s internal affairs.”

The companies cited include clothing manufacturers and technology suppliers.

Two companies cited, Xinjiang Silk Road BGI and Beijing Liuhe BGI, are subsidiaries of BGI Group, one of the world’s biggest gene-sequencing companies.

Another company, Nanchang O-Film Tech, supplies screens and lenses to Apple, Samsung and other technology companies.

The Commerce Department imposed similar restrictions last October and in June on a total of 37 companies.