On Thursday, China said US measures against companies with supply chains in Xinjiang threaten global trade after the Senate passed a bill that would ban all imports from the region.
“The US approach has seriously undermined the security and stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain,” said Gao Feng, a spokesman for China’s Commerce Ministry. “China firmly opposes it.”
The Senate bill banning Xinjiang products passed by unanimous consent, demonstrating the bipartisan consensus on China. It came a few days after the Biden administration issued an updated advisory strongly warning American companies with supply in Xinjiang that they “could run a high risk of violating US law.”
US business owners based in China are not happy with Biden’s approach and expressed confusion and frustration over the advisory in comments to The South China Morning Post. One American business owner explained how difficult it is for companies to ensure their supply chains are free of components from Xinjiang.
“No Western firm will touch a Xinjiang commodity for fear of being associated with the liability and the negativity,” the businessman, who asked not to be named, told the Post. “Most won’t even know if they do have an insignificant, small component from that region. Now they’re going to waste tonnes of resources to figure that out and control it.”
The Biden administration is taking a similar approach to Hong Kong and is expected to release a new advisory on Friday for doing business in the city. A report from Reuters said fresh Hong Kong sanctions against Chinese officials could also come on Friday.