Intel apologizes after asking suppliers to avoid goods from Xinjiang

Intel has issued an apology after announcing that the company would avoid goods and services from China’s Xinjiang region, where the U.S. has accused China of committing genocide against Uyghurs. 

In a letter to suppliers earlier this month, Intel said it was “required to ensure our supply chain does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region,” adding that its decision stemmed from restrictions of multiple governments on products from the area.

On Thursday, the company posted an announcement in Chinese on WeChat and Weibo saying that its letter was intended to comply with U.S. laws, not to take a stance on a political issue, Reuters reported. 

“We apologize for the trouble caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners and the public. Intel is committed to becoming a trusted technology partner and accelerating joint development with China,” Intel’s statement said.

The company added that it “respected the sensitivity of the issue in China.”

But some Weibo users criticized the apology as an effort to protect the company’s sales in China. By Thursday afternoon, a hashtag that said “Is Intel’s apology sincere?” was trending on the platform, Reuters noted.

“We issued a statement in China to address concerns raised by our stakeholders there regarding how we communicated certain legal requirements and policies with our global supplier network,” an Intel spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “We will continue to ensure that our global sourcing complies with applicable laws and regulations in the U.S. and in other jurisdictions where we operate.”

Meanwhile, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that China would “note the statement and hope the relevant company will respect facts and tell right from wrong,” the news service added. 

These remarks come after the Senate last week passed a bipartisan ban on imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless it could be proved that the imported goods were made without forced labor.

The bill, known as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, was signed into law by President Biden on Thursday and is in response to the alleged abuse of millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.

“The Administration will work closely with Congress to implement this bill to ensure global supply chains are free of forced labor, while simultaneously working to on-shore and third-shore key supply chains, including semiconductors and clean energy,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of the bill. 

–Updated at 2:18 p.m.