China refutes smears against Xinjiang on so-called "forced labor"

BEIJING, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- There is no so-called "forced labor" in Xinjiang, and the Chinese government has always firmly opposed and cracked down hard on "forced labor," a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.

Spokesperson Lin Jian made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query concerning a so-called investigation report by BBC, which claimed certain kinds of ketchup sold at UK supermarkets may contain tomato ingredients from China's Xinjiang, and these tomatoes may be the products of "forced labor."

Xinjiang tomatoes, just like the region's cotton, are world-renowned quality products, Lin said. From planting to harvesting, mechanization has been basically realized, with the mechanical harvesting rate exceeding 90 percent and 85 percent respectively, he added. "How could there be such a thing as 'forced labor?'"