Fashion maker H&M disappeared from internet searches in China after issuing comments about alleged Uighur forced labor at a cotton factory in Xinjiang. H&M also stated that they would no longer use products from the cotton factory there.
The Swedish clothing retailer has stopped appearing on major Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Alibaba and JD.com, today.
This decision is a form of sanction from the Chinese government. It does have broad authority to punish companies that do not support official policies.
In recent months, brands such as Nike, adidas, and H&M have indeed become the butt of the Chinese people on Weibo. The boycott movement against these products is also starting to spread.
“H&M clothes; are old clothes. They don’t deserve Xinjiang cotton,” wrote one comment from a Chinese netizen on Weibo.
Dozens of Chinese celebrities also take part in action
Dozens of Chinese celebrities also this week terminated their contracts with these brands in support of cotton mills in Xinjiang, while state media accused H&M and other brands of undue profit from China while criticizing.
The ruling Communist Party Youth has previously launched attacks on H&M following the European Union’s decision to follow the United States, Britain and Canada to impose sanctions on Chinese officials blamed for abuses in Xinjiang.
Then, launching AP News, the Chinese government announced the sentences of nine British citizens and four institutions. The government banned them from visiting China or conducting financial transactions with citizens and institutions.
More than one million Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities are thought to have been locked up in detention camps in Xinjiang. This is according to reports from various foreign researchers. The authorities there allegedly have been employing forced labor and enforcing birth control.
But the Chinese government dismissed the accusations and said the camps only consists of job training to support economic development.
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