Intel is facing criticism from a US senator for erasing a reference to the forced labor practices in China’s Xinjiang region from a company letter to suppliers.
The letter, sent last month, originally said Intel would no longer source goods or services from the country’s Xinjiang region, where the Chinese government has been accused of committing human rights abuses.
But on Monday, The Wall Street Journal noticed the latest version of Intel’s letter had deleted mention of Xinjiang and the need to avoid suppliers from the region.
Intel made the change after China, a major market for the company, accused it of unfair treatment. In response, Intel apologized to the Chinese public on social media, saying it had to comply with US regulations, which now restrict sourcing goods from the Xinjiang region.
The chip maker has now taken the extra step of deleting all mention of Xinjiang from the original letter. But the company’s attempt to mend fences drew scrutiny from US Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), who accuses Intel of caving to China.
“Intel’s cowardice is yet another predictable consequence of economic reliance on China,” he said in a statement. “Instead of humiliating apologies and self-censorship, companies should move their supply chains to countries that do not use slave labor or commit genocide.”
Rubio is threatening to pull Intel’s federal subsidies through future Congressional funding as the US tries to improve the country’s semiconductor industry. “If companies like Intel continue to obscure the facts about US law just to appease the Chinese Communist Party, then they should be ineligible for any funding under the CHIPS Act,” he added.
Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the company told the Journal it will comply with laws and regulations where it operates.
