China's commerce ministry on Thursday condemned the United States for placing three Chinese medical equipment and genomics companies on a list of businesses Washington alleges use Uyghur forced labour or source material from Xinjiang, and said Beijing would take steps to safeguard its interests.

What the listing means

The United States added MGI Tech Co Ltd, BGI Genomics Co Ltd and Shenzhen BGI Technology Co Ltd, which Washington says is also known as the BGI Group, to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List on Wednesday, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Beijing hits back

Under the listing, US customs must stop goods from the listed companies entering the United States unless exporters can rebut the presumption they were made with forced labour. The US says BGI Group and BGI Genomics conduct genetic testing in Xinjiang, working with the government to facilitate the recruitment, transport and transfer of forced labour, while MGI Tech provides equipment and related support for that testing.

The companies reject the allegations. MGI Tech has said it has "zero tolerance" for forced labour and that its business activities in the US represent a limited part of its overall business. BGI Genomics and BGI Group have also said they are not engaged in any form of forced labour.

China's commerce ministry said the listing was contrary to the consensus reached by the two countries' heads of state, and urged Washington to immediately cease what it called "political manipulation, smear campaigns, and unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises". It accused Washington of using human rights as a pretext for unilateral protectionism.

The row is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat technology measures: in early 2025, China placed rival US medical equipment maker Illumina on its "unreliable entity" list.

Sources: Reuters and Morningstar (Dow Jones Newswires).