BEIJING: Intel Corp. apologized Thursday for asking suppliers to avoid sourcing goods from Xinjiang after the world’s biggest chipmaker joined other foreign brands that face the fury of state media over complaints of abuses by the ruling Communist Party in the mostly Muslim region.
Intel’s request was “arrogant and vicious,” said Global Times, a newspaper published by the ruling party.
The reference to Xinjiang in a letter to suppliers was aimed at complying with U.S. regulations, Intel said on its social media account. Washington has barred imports of goods from Xinjiang over complaints of mass detentions, forced abortions and forced labor, which Beijing denies.
Tension over Xinjiang is rising as activists call for a boycott of February’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, a prestige project for the ruling party. The White House says the United States won’t send dignitaries. Intel is one of the International Olympic Committee’s top U.S.-based sponsors.
