China has decided to boycott several big-name fashion apparels such as H&M, Nike and Adidas. The issue started from H&M’s concern over the labour in situation Xinjiang, which soon received a strong backlash from China. Following the news, the Chinese government put out a statement to clarify the issue.
China vs Europe: how everything started
The boycott started after a sudden reportage from the Chinese state media. The report mentioned H&M’s statement from a year prior over the company’s concern on the forced labour accusation in Xinjiang. H&M have also stopped sourcing products from the region. The exact reason behind the sudden reportage is, however, unfounded.
Meanwhile, the fashion apparels are suffering from a downfall in shares due to the boycott. People took the hate on Nike and Adidas on social media. Local brands such as Li Ning and Anta, on the other hand, received support, resulting in a surge in shares.
China clarifies forced labour issue in Xinjiang
The foreign ministry of China eventually came forward to deny the companies’ allegations over the labour issue in Xinjiang. According to Reuters, the Chinese government has put up a warning to stop foreign brands from what they call “tainting China’s name”. The issue further heatens up the tension between China and Europe.
Quoted from Reuters, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman at China’s foreign ministry’s daily media briefing told the people that attended the occasion that “more than 40% of the cotton in Xinjiang is harvested by machinery, so the alleged forced labour is non-existent”.
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