Intel Apologizes to China Customers Over Xinjiang Stance

(Bloomberg) — Intel Corp. apologized after its opposition to Xinjiang labor sparked a backlash against the U.S. chipmaker in China, highlighting how multinational companies are increasingly getting caught up in a geopolitical spat between two global powers over issues such as human rights. 

The chipmaker sent a letter asking suppliers not to use any labor or products sourced from Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region “in order to ensure compliance with U.S. legal requirements,” it said in a WeChat statement Thursday. The company had no other intention and did not mean to express a position on the matter, according to the statement.