DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Global clothing brands such as H&M and Nike are facing a boycott in China after statements in which companies voiced concerns about unethical employment in Xinjiang.
H&M and Nike had said months ago that they were concerned about allegations of forced labor to produce cotton in Xinjiang. The two companies are now caught in a firestorm of criticism that erupted on Chinese social media.
The anger in the country comes after a group linked to the ruling Communist Party published a statement from H&M on the Chinese social networking site Weibo. In the statement released in September, the company said it was “deeply concerned” about reports of forced labor to produce cotton in Xinjiang.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Beijing of detaining Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the region in “re-education” camps and using forced labor, which they claim is part of global technology and retail supply chains, either directly or indirectly.
One user wrote in one of the most popular comments on “Weibo”: “H&M clothes are rags,” while another user wrote: “They do not deserve Xinjiang cotton!”
Major e-commerce stores in China, such as Alibaba and JD, have banned Swedish global H&M, the world’s second largest clothing retailer, while a celebrity has cut ties with the brand. Nike and Adidas, among other brands, have also faced heavy criticism.
H&M issued another statement on “Weibo” on Wednesday evening, in which it said that it did not purchase cotton directly from suppliers, but rather from third parties that complied with “sustainability commitments,” adding that its choice of third-party suppliers “does not represent any political position.”
“We are committed to long-term investment and development in China,” H&M said in a statement, Weibo.
Nike has also come under widespread criticism for a statement announcing that it does not import products from Xinjiang because it is “concerned about reports of forced labor in” the region.
CNN contacted Nike for comment, but had not received a response at the time of writing.
The Chinese state channel CCTV criticized foreign brands, describing them as making big profits in China, but attacking the country with lies at the same time.
“These companies do not have a basic work ethic and are over the bare minimum. Such behavior will only lead to Chinese consumers standing up for themselves and voting with their feet to teach a company that does not follow the rules a lesson by boycotting it,” she added.
An independent international report earlier this month found that the Chinese government’s alleged actions in Xinjiang violated every clause of the United Nations Genocide Convention. The report, issued by the “Newlines Institute for Strategy and Intellectual Policy” in Washington, DC, claimed that the Chinese government “bears the state’s responsibility for the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs, in violation of the United Nations Genocide Convention.”
