Beijing: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Wednesday called on the United States “to stop undue pressure on Chinese companies” by imposing sanctions aimed at curbing the country’s development.
Earlier in the day, the US Department of Commerce said that Washington had imposed export restrictions on two entities from Russia related to the aircraft industry along with several others from Nicaragua and Myanmar. The US also added to its entity list five companies from China for engaging in activities contrary to US foreign policy interests.
“The US, based on false facts and guided by its own desires, puts pressure on Chinese enterprises and politicizes normal trade and economic cooperation… China strongly opposes this, the US should respect the facts, stop spreading false information, and stop undue pressure on Chinese companies,” Mao told a briefing.
According to the spokeswoman, the purpose of such steps is to sow chaos in China’s autonomous region of Xinjiang over alleged human rights violations, and use it to contain China. Mao added that Beijing would take all necessary measures to protect the legitimate interests of the country’s companies.
At the end of August 2018, experts from the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination reported that up to 1 million ethnic Uyghurs could be in Beijing-run “re-education camps” in Xinjiang. Beijing has denied the existence of “re-education camps” on numerous occasions, insisting that the country was fully complying with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
