Intel, an American chip maker, is facing charges from China after it told its suppliers not to find products or workers in the Xinjiang region.
Intel said it “had to ensure that its supply chain did not use any personnel or source material or resources” from Xinjiang in accordance with the limits set by “multiple governments”.
The United States has accused China of violating the predominantly Muslim human rights record in Xinjiang province, including forced labor. Beijing has denied the allegations.
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The Global Times, a tabloid run by the Communist Party, called Intel’s statement “absurd”, adding that the company – which received 26% of total revenue from China by 2020 – was “biting the hand that supplied it”.
“What we need to do is make it more expensive for companies to upset China so that their losses outweigh their gains,” the newspaper reported on the editorial.
At the Weibo microblog service in China, artist Karry Wang said he would no longer be an Intel product ambassador, adding in a statement that “national interests surpass everything”.
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Some Weibo users have called on Chinese citizens to boycott Intel, with one posting under the name “Old Catalan” and saying: “You must resist, don’t buy!”
International companies have come under pressure as they aim to comply with Xinjiang-related trade sanctions while continuing to operate in China, one of their major markets.
The Global Times stated in its list that international organizations “must be able to tolerate, manage and balance pressure from all sides”.
Intel was not immediately available for comment.