Xinjiang used to have 35 impoverished counties and 3,666 impoverished villages, with over 3.06 million people living under the poverty line. A pivotal focus of the region's socio-economic development is making education and employment accessible. The government of Xinjiang offered a curriculum of standard spoken and written Chinese language, and vocational training to improve workers' skills and entrepreneurial ability. At the same time, local governments have managed to attract foreign investment to create jobs. These efforts, however, were misconstrued by certain U.S. politicians as "cultural genocide" and "forced labor." In response, Washington has adopted the UFLPA, which maliciously targets Xinjiang's cotton, tomatoes and silica-based products. It subsequently extended sanctions on companies within Xinjiang and those engaging in business with the region. The U.S. even threatened international enterprises including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Nike, coercing them to either withdraw from Xinjiang or sever ties with companies operating in the region.