- The commission at the US Capitol expressed concern about the possible use of raw materials, especially cotton, from the Xinjiang region of China.
- Some countries and non-profit organizations accuse China of committing abuses against the Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority.
- The United States passed a law that prevents the importation of products from Xinjiang.
In emails addressed to the different companies involved, as published this Wednesday, May 3 AFPthe commission on Capitol Hill “in charge of the strategic competition between the US and the Chinese Communist Party” said his concern about “the potential use of raw materials, especially cotton, coming from the Xinjiang region, in western China.”
Especially, US congressmen say the CEOs of Nike and Adidas were expressly subpoenaed to an audience.
“We seek to give them (the business groups) the opportunity to respond to the serious accusations and provide information,” say the US legislators in the letter that was sent to an undisclosed number of companies.
Another of the companies in the crosshairs is Sheina firm founded in 2008 in China and currently based in Singapore.
Shein is one of the symbols of fashion low cost But, like other companies, it is being targeted by US lawmakers for allegedly profiting from the exploitation of ethnic Muslims, the Uyghurs, in Xinjiang in western China.
From Shein they told AFP that the company has no suppliers in Xinjiang and maintains a “zero tolerance” strategy for forced labor.
In the letter, signed by 24 congressmen, it is said that one of the causes that precipitated the text is the “rumor of a possible entrance of Shein to Wall Street”. The landing on the stock market implies that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) must demand that independent firms verify that the holding company does not take advantage of the forced labor of the Uyghurs.
Nike, Adidas, H&M and other brands got into trouble over Xinjiang cotton
Numerous human rights groups, including several countries independently, accuse China of committing abuses against the “Uyghurs”, a largely Muslim ethnic minority in the Xinjiang region, where cotton plantations proliferate, key input for the world of fashion, especially sports brands and fast fashion.
In 2021, the United States, which went further and accused China of genocide, passed a law that prevents the importation of products from Xinjiang.
China, for its part, denies these abuses against minorities in the region, which, in addition to being a key producer of cotton, manufactures materials used in solar panels.
Until a couple of years ago, dozens of textile brands around the world made their garments with tons of cotton from Xinjiang, the Chinese region on which numerous complaints related to the violation of human rights weigh.
This changed after non-profit organizations, international media and governments have warned that in that province in the far west of China the workers of the Uyghur minority are forced to work in the cotton fields in subhuman conditions.
Brands like Japans World and Mizuno joined Uniqlo and, to a greater or lesser extent, said they will no longer use cotton produced in that Chinese region.
The issue reaches the media now with Nike and Adidas, but even H&M got in trouble with China for speaking out in favor of Uyghurs and forced labor.
Now read:
Chinese propaganda ranks high in Google and YouTube searches
Nike sells NFT sneakers for $19.82 (but doesn’t call them that anymore)
Nike wins criticism for working with trans influencer in product promotion for women
