Fashion

China warns firms not to engage in politics over Xinjiang

H&M, Burberry, Nike, Adidas and other Western brands have been hit by consumer boycotts in China since last week over comments about their sourcing of cotton in Xinjiang. The growing rift comes as the United States and other Western governments increase pressure on China over suspected human rights abuses in the Chinese province.”I don’t think a company should politicize its economic behaviour,” said Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, at a news conference on Monday morningคำพูดจาก สล็อตเว็บตรง. “Can H&M continue to make money in the Chinese market? Not anymore.”

“To rush into this decision and get involved in the sanctions is not reasonableคำพูดจาก สล็อตเว็บตรง. It’s like lifting a stone to drop it on one’s own feet,” he said.H&M did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In Geneva, U.N. human rights experts voiced concerns about alleged detention and forced labour of Muslim Uighurs in China and called for global and domestic companies to “closely scrutinise their supply chains”.They had received information that “connected over 150 domestic Chinese and foreign domiciled companies” to serious allegations of human rights abuses against Uighur workers, the experts said in a statement that did not name the companies.“Uyghur workers have allegedly been forcibly employed in low-skilled, labour-intensive industries, such as agribusiness, textile and garment, automotive and technological sectors,” said Dante Pesce, chair of the U.N. working group on business and human rights, using a different spelling for the word Uighur.Chinese social media users last week began circulating a 2020 statement by H&M announcing it would no longer source cotton from Xinjiang.H&M said at the time the decision was due to difficulties conducting credible due diligence in the region and after media and human rights groups reported the use of forced labour in Xinjiang – a charge that Beijing has repeatedly denied.Elijan Anayat, another Xinjiang government spokesman, said during the briefing that Chinese people did not want the products of companies such as H&M and Nike that have boycotted Xinjiang’s cotton. He said he would welcome companies taking trips to the region’s cotton fields to see them for themselves.WESTERN SANCTIONSWashington on Friday condemned what it called a state-led social media campaign in China against U.S. and other international companies for committing not to use cotton from Xinjiang.The wave of consumer boycotts in China has coincided with a coordinated set of sanctions imposed by Britain, Canada, the European Union and the United States last week over what they say are human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang. The U.S. government has publicly accused Beijing of genocide against the Uighur Muslim ethnic minorities in the region.Xu repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide and human rights abuses in the region and accused the Western powers of engaging in political manipulation to destabilise China with the sanctions.”They have lost their minds and their conscience, they are enthusiastic about political manipulation and the abuse of sanctions, to a level that is hysterical,” said Xu.Anayat said: “Their real purpose by fabricating the issue of genocide is to disrupt security and stability in China.”The United States in January announced an import ban on all cotton and tomato products from the area due to allegations of forced labour from detained Uighur Muslims.Western governments and rights groups have previously accused authorities in the far-western region of detaining and torturing Uighurs in camps, where some former inmates have said they were subject to ideological indoctrination.China has repeatedly denied all such charges and say the camps are for vocational training and combating religious extremism. 

Related Posts

EU banking watchdog eases payments rules to boost competition

The European Banking Authority Chairman Andrea Enria said changes have been made to the watchdog’s draft rules that flesh out the bloc’s revised payments services law from January…

New York Senate Labor Committee passes Fashion Workers Act again

The pro-labor legislation, first introduced by Senator Brad Hoylman and Assembly member Karines Reyes in March 2022, aims to regulate predatory management agencies in New York that currently…

Protesters shut luxury Paris store La Samaritaine

Owned by the French LVMH luxury giant, La Samaritaine re-opened in June last year after a 750-million-euro (800-million-dollar) facelift and renovation carried out over 16 years.”La Samaritaine is…

U.S. urges countries to suspend digital taxes, supports OECD talks

As the United States is poised to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on $2.4 billion in French products over that country’s digital services tax, Mnuchin said…

UK could clamp down on influencer advertising over mental health impact

MPs claim regulation and employment protection has failed to keep pace with the growth of online influencer culture, “leaving those working in the industry with a lack of…

UK consumers to outspend Europeans for Christmas says new research

That willingness to spend could also be a reason retail sales were so weak in October after September had looked relatively bright. Perhaps shoppers are saving their cash…