China Condemns US Addition of Chinese Firms to Forced Labour List

China's commerce ministry condemned the United States for adding three Chinese medical equipment companies to a list of entities accused of using Uyghur forced labor or sourcing materials from Xinjiang.

The US placed MGI Tech Co Ltd, BGI Genomics Co Ltd, and Shenzhen BGI Technology Co Ltd on the list, which restricts goods from these companies from entering the United States unless exporters can rebut the presumption that they were made with forced labor.

The Chinese ministry stated the move contradicts the consensus reached by the two heads of state and urged the US to stop what it called 'political manipulation' and 'unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises.'

The listed companies denied the US allegations, with MGI Tech stating it has 'zero tolerance' for forced labor. BGI Genomics and its parent company, BGI Group, also denied any involvement in forced labor practices.

In January, a group of UN experts reported a 'persistent pattern' of alleged forced labor affecting Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tibetan groups in Xinjiang and other provinces, which Beijing dismissed as groundless.

China previously placed the US medical equipment maker Illumina on its 'unreliable entity' list in early 2025.