HONG KONG (Reuters – U.S. Chipmaker Intel (NASDAQ:), apologized on Thursday to Chinese partners, customers, and the general public that it had told its suppliers not to source goods or labour from the Xinjiang region. It was doing so following a Chinese backlash.

According to the company, it published a December letter that was described as an “annual letter” to its suppliers. It stated that after restrictions imposed “multiple governments”, it had been required to “ensure that its supply chains do not utilize any labour, source goods, or services from Xinjiang”.

The letter was posted on the company website in many languages and sparked backlash from China via state and social media. There were calls to boycott the products.

Intel made a Chinese-language statement Thursday via its WeChat profile, stating that its pledge to avoid supply chains coming from Xinjiang was not a declaration of position but an expression of compliance.

“We apologize to all our Chinese friends, partners, and customers for this inconvenience. Intel stated that it is determined to become a reliable technology partner in China and accelerate joint development.

U.N. officials and rights groups have estimated that over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities were held in a system of large camps spread across China’s west region of Xinjiang. China has denied any abuses committed in Xinjiang, and claims its policies help fight extremism.