China's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it would take

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the imposition of sanctions against the American company Kharon, which specializes in research in the Xinjiang region. 

This was reported by Reuters.

This firm, founded by former U.S. Treasury Department officials, provides data on forced labor in Xinjiang to help companies comply with U.S. laws.

The ministry said it would take "countermeasures" against Kharon and its director of investigations for providing "so-called evidence of illegal U.S. sanctions related to Xinjiang."

In response, Kharon pointed out that it has no presence in China and, therefore, these sanctions do not have a major impact on its operations or ability to serve customers.

The sanctions also apply to a former researcher at the US Center for Advanced Defense Studies. The sanctioned individuals will be banned from entering China and their property in China will be frozen.

Kharon claims that its data on forced labor is necessary for companies to comply with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), signed into US law in 2021. This law bans the importation of goods from companies associated with forced labor in Xinjiang.

The sanctions are part of the international tension over the problems in the Xinjiang region, where U.S. officials accuse the Chinese authorities of setting up labor camps for Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. Beijing denies such allegations and considers the sanctions to be undue interference in domestic affairs.