China to take countermeasures against one US company, two individuals

BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Tuesday announced China's decision to take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon and two individuals, urging the U.S. side to stop smearing China.

According to media reports, the United States recently issued an annual human rights report related to Xinjiang and sanctioned China's two officials and three companies. China said it will take resolute countermeasures.

"By issuing the report, the United States once again spread false stories on Xinjiang and illegally sanctioned Chinese officials and companies citing so-called human rights issues," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a daily news briefing when answering a relevant query, adding that this move constitutes grave interference in China's internal affairs and violates the international law and the basic norms of international relations. The move is designed to vilify China and harmful to the lawful rights and interests of relevant Chinese officials and companies.

"We firmly oppose and strongly condemn the move and have made serious démarches to the United States over this," Mao said.

Mao said in accordance with China's Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, China will take countermeasures against American intelligence data company Kharon, which has long collected Xinjiang-related sensitive information and provided so-called evidence for America's illegal sanctions related to Xinjiang, Edmund Xu, director of investigations of Kharon, and Nicole Morgret, former researcher of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies.

The two persons will be prohibited from entering China. China will freeze the property of Kharon and the two persons in China, including their movable and immovable property, and prohibit organizations and individuals in China from transactions and cooperation with them, Mao added.

"We again urge the U.S. side to stop smearing China, cancel the illegal unilateral sanctions on Chinese officials and companies, and stop implementing wrongful acts such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act," said Mao.

If the United States refuses to change course, China will not flinch and will respond in kind, she said.