U.S. ban on Xinjiang products violates trade rules: Chinese association

BEIJING, June 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. ban on all imports from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is in violation of international economic and trade rules, the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) said Wednesday.

The CNTAC said it strongly opposes the U.S. ban, which has not only seriously damaged the overall interests of China's textile industry, but will also harm the normal order of the global textile industry.

The remarks came after a ban on imports of all products related to Xinjiang by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Tuesday, based on the so-called "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act."

Xinjiang cotton, the quality of which is recognized globally, accounts for about 20 percent of the world's total cotton output and is a vital guarantee for the healthy and sustainable development of both the Chinese and global textile industries, the CNTAC said.

Noting that the U.S. move is a malicious suppression of China's textile industry, the council said it seriously jeopardizes the security and stability of the industrial and supply chains of the global textile industry, and hurts the interests of workers in the global textile industry.

Stressing that forced labor is explicitly prohibited under Chinese law, the CNTAC said that Chinese textile enterprises strictly abide by the laws, and that the so-called forced labor does not exist in China's textile industry.

The CNTAC said it believes that China's textile industry will respond effectively to various risks and challenges with the support of the Chinese government.