Xinjiang backs firms' growth, counters US sanctions

Supporting enterprises in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region that have been sanctioned by the United States in the name of combating so-called "forced labor" is the strong will of the people, and Xinjiang will step up efforts to defy US hegemony with legal means, legislators from the region said.

Last year, the region made a breakthrough in using legal means to counter the US' passage of a series of laws targeting Xinjiang on groundless accusations and its imposing of sanctions on Xinjiang enterprises, said Zumret Obul, director of the standing committee of the regional people's congress.

On Aug 23, the standing committee passed a resolution to counter US sanctions and support the development of sanctioned enterprises.

"The resolution has been widely recognized, as it has helped to protect the legitimate rights of the enterprises and people's right to pursue a better life," Zumret said while delivering the standing committee's work report on Monday at the annual session of the 14th Xinjiang Regional People's Congress, the region's legislature. The session concluded on Wednesday.

The resolution urged governments at different levels to support the development of sanctioned enterprises by offering policy support. In addition, legal aid will be provided to the enterprises so that they can protect their rights in accordance with the law.

It also encourages sanctioned enterprises to step up innovation efforts and further improve their core competitiveness, and says that more support will be given to help the enterprises expand to new domestic and international markets.

This year, the regional legislature will further advance domestic and foreign-related legal frameworks, in order to provide more legal means to counter actions by the US and some other Western countries to curb Xinjiang's development in the name of groundless accusations, she said.

The US and some other Western countries have been smearing Xinjiang with baseless claims of "forced labor", and the US has even tried to crack down via sanctions on businesses that get source materials such as cotton, tomatoes and photovoltaic products from the region. The so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act", which took effect in the US in June 2022, prohibited the entry of Xinjiang goods into the US market, in the name of combating so-called "forced labor".

Li Xuan, deputy director of the Department of Commerce of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said the goal of the US is to remove materials sourced from Xinjiang from international supply chains by imposing sanctions.

"Of course, the businesses will be affected by the sanctions imposed by the US, but we are confident that we can help them get through the difficult times with legal and policy support," Li said.

According to the Xinjiang regional government, by the end of 2023, sanctions had disrupted operations at more than 100 local enterprises. Sanctioned textile and garment factories were forced to cut production or shut down entirely, resulting in significant layoffs.

Aliyar Anwar, a deputy to the regional people's congress and Party secretary of Tuliang village in the regional capital of Urumqi, said the local people are very angry about the smearing of Xinjiang.

"Expanding legal means to fight back fully reflects the will of the people and legislators of Xinjiang," Aliyar said.

Mehriban Kadir, another deputy to the regional people's congress and deputy director of Hotan prefecture's lawyers association, said that establishing a legal framework is key in helping Xinjiang counter exterior pressure such as US sanctions.

"Under the legal framework, we can then firmly defend the rights of the sanctioned enterprises and the rights of the people in accordance with the law," Mehriban said.