The U.S. move to blacklist Chinese entities and go after more Chinese companies is aimed at undermining Xinjiang's prosperity and stability and containing China's development, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said that the allegation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang is nothing but an enormous lie propagated by anti-China elements to smear China. The comment was made in response to reports that the United States added more Chinese companies to an entity list for alleged "forced labor" on August 1.

"It is the very opposite of the fact that the labor rights of people of all ethnic backgrounds in Xinjiang are effectively protected," the spokesperson added.

The U.S. enforcement of the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" on the basis of such a lie is detrimental to international trade rules and the stability of global industrial and supply chains, and the move to blacklist Chinese entities and go after more Chinese companies is aimed at undermining Xinjiang's prosperity and stability and containing China's development, the spokesperson said.

"We condemn and reject this and will take strong measures to firmly safeguard Chinese companies' lawful rights and interests," the spokesperson said.

China's Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday also responded to the issue, saying the U.S. move lacks factual basis and transparency, which is a typical act of economic coercion, and China strongly condemns and rejects this.

There is no so-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang, a spokesperson for the ministry said. 

The U.S. fabricates and hypes up such lies and arbitrarily imposes sanctions on Chinese companies in the name of human rights to practice unilateral bullying and undermine Xinjiang's prosperity and stability, said the spokesperson.

"We urge the U.S. to immediately stop its wrongdoing," the spokesperson said, adding that China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: The Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China. /CFP)