China accuses US of threatening global trade with Xinjiang measures

China is accusing the U.S. of threatening global trade after warnings were sent out to companies about doing trade with the Xinjiang province.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng said on Thursday accusations of forced labor and genocide were untrue and have the potential to hurt global trade, The Associated Press reported. 

“The U.S. approach has seriously undermined the security and stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain,” Feng said. “China firmly opposes it.”

“The so-called human rights and forced labor issues in Xinjiang are completely inconsistent with the facts,” he added.

The U.S. warned on Tuesday against companies doing business with China’s Xinjiang province due to the country putting Muslim ethnic groups in camps, which survivors of the facility said amounted to torture.

“Given the severity and extent of these abuses, including widespread, state-sponsored forced labor and intrusive surveillance taking place amid ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, businesses and individuals that do not exit supply chains, ventures, and/or investments connected to Xinjiang could run a high risk of violating U.S. law,” the report from the State Department to American companies says.

On Wednesday, the Senate also passed a measure that would block products imported from Xinjiang made from forced labor.

China has denied multiple times using forced labor and says the camps are for training purposes, but the U.S. and other countries around the world have labeled the country’s action as genocide against ethnic minorities.