U.S. wants private sector to operate with full information about China’s Xinjiang

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. State Department on Monday said it wants the private sector to operate with full information about what is transpiring in Xinjiang, after the U.S. said it would not send government officials to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing amid criticism of China’s human rights record.

“We want the private sector to be fully cognizant and to operate with full information with regard to what is transpiring in Xinjiang,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters when asked whether the Biden administration wants American companies to join in boycotting the Olympic games.

He added it was not the role of the government to dictate the practices the private sector should adopt.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Daphne Psaledakis)