US sanctions Chinese suppliers of Apple, Samsung for human rights abuses

Beijing: China said Tuesday it would take unspecified “necessary measures” after the US government imposed trade sanctions on 11 companies it says are implicated in human rights abuses in China’s Muslim northwestern region of Xinjiang.

The sanctions add to US pressure on Beijing over Xinjiang, where the ruling Communist Party is accused of mass detentions, forced labor and other abuses against Muslim minorities.

Xinjiang is among a series of conflicts including human rights, trade and technology that have caused US-Chinese relations to plunge to their lowest level in decades.

Three of the 11 companies cited were identified by investigations by The Associated Press in 2018 and 2020 as being implicated in forced labor.