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H&M Stores Vanish From China Maps as Xinjiang Spat Worsens

H&M outlets appeared not to show up on Apple Maps and Baidu Maps searches in China on Friday after the fashion retailer found itself at the center of an escalating spat over human rights in the contentious region of Xinjiang.

The disappearance of H&M’s physical stores from online maps comes after the retailer was removed from Alibaba’s e-commerce platform earlier this week as the controversy escalated. The company had been blasted by China’s Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army on Mar 24 after social-media users dug out an undated statement about accusations of forced labor in the region’s cotton-picking industry.

Source: Bloomberg #Mar26

https://trib.al/BEhjL43 #HM

#HM #China #BaiduMap #AppleMap #XinjiangCotton #Xinjiang #ForcedLabor
Chinese celebs, netizens slam 'two-faced' Hugo Boss over Xinjiang

Hugo Boss had a post on its Weibo account on Mar25 that it would continue to purchase and support Xinjiang cotton. However, the post was deleted on Friday. A new official statement in its Weibo account was issued to say that it cherished all longstanding relationships with partners in China.

Chinese netizens have accused Hugo Boss for backtracking on its position, saying the brand was being “two faced”, with some vowing to boycott the brand for good. “A two-faced person is the most disgusting. I’ll boycott you forever,” said a Weibo user.

Source: Reuters #Mar27

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-hugo-boss/chinese-celebs-netizens-slam-two-faced-hugo-boss-over-xinjiang-idUSKBN2BJ03V

#XinjiangCotton #China #Xinjiang #HugoBoss
#MisInformation
China Misuses Photo of US Prisoners to Attack International #Boycott over #XinjiangCotton

China’s state media and Chinese netizens have been attacking multiple global fashion brands, which have decided to stop buying cotton from Xinjiang after concerns over reportedly forced labour in the industry.

In a press meeting on Mar 25, 2021, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Hua Chunying, displayed a photo showing what she claimed to be “forced labour in America picking cotton”.

It was later discovered that the workers in the photo, taken at a cotton field in Texas in 1968, were prisoners. The intention of the shot, however, seemed to be more about concerns on the correctional system and racial discrimination in the US than “forced labour” as described by Hua.

Source: Stand News #Mar25
https://bit.ly/3rxFyHw

#Xinjiang #ConcentrationCamp #ForcedLabour #HuaChunying #US #China #ChineseNetizens
Chinese public figures ditch western brands as Xinjiang row escalates

Chinese celebrities and politicians were racing to distance themselves from western brands as Beijing stepped up a campaign to penalise those making accusations of abuses in Xinjiang, including fashion companies that boycott the region’s cotton.

Burberry was one high-profile target, as the award-winning actor Zhou Dongyu ended her “brand ambassador” role, the company’s hallmark tartan was scrubbed from a popular video game, and a Hong Kong lawmaker shared a widely mocked photograph of herself staring mournfully at a trio of scarves she promised not to wear again.

Some brands including Muji and Fila responded to the boycotts by underlining their commitment to using cotton from Xinjiang, a reminder of China’s importance as one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing markets for fashion.

Source: The Guardian #Mar26

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/26/chinese-actor-quits-as-burberry-ambassador-as-xinjiang-cotton-row-escalates?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

#China #XinjiangCotton #Xinjiang #Burberry #Muji #Fila
#Football
#Nike logo on Jersey Found Photoshopped Away from Chinese Soccer Team’s Photos on Weibo

As the #XinjiangCotton controversy intensifies, many artists unilaterally terminated their collaboration with a number of brands. Chinese netizens are now targeting at professional soccer teams, demanding them to change their sponsors.

Shanghai Shenhua F.C., one of the teams in the Chinese Super League, was found to have photoshopped away the Nike logo on their practice jersey on their photos posted on the Chinese social media platform #Weibo.

Source: Stand News #Mar27
#China #Xinjiang #ChineseNetizens #Shenhua #Photoshop
Nike, Adidas join brands feeling Chinese social media heat over Xinjiang

On Mar 25, 2021, Nike and Adidas came under attack on Chinese social media over their comments the fashion brands about labour conditions in Xinjiang.

The sportswear companies were the latest caught up in a backlash prompted by a Chinese government call to stop foreign brands from tainting China’s name as internet users found statements they had made in the past on Xinjiang.

Some netizens said they would stop buying Nike and would support local brands such as Li Ning and Anta. Others told Adidas to leave China.

The dispute creates a dilemma for Western companies who must balance the desire to expand their business in China against the views of consumers in their home markets.

Source: Reuters #Mar25

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-xinjiang-cotton-retailers/nike-adidas-join-brands-feeling-chinese-social-media-heat-over-xinjiang-idUSKBN2BH0Q3

#XinjiangCotton #Nike #Adidas #China #Xinjaing
#XinjiangCotton
Shares in Parent Company Drop as #Muji Features Xinjiang Cotton

Source: Nikkei Asia; Liberty Times News #Mar25

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#XinjiangCotton
Shares in Parent Company Drop as #Muji Features Xinjiang Cotton

Mutiple international brands have boycotted Xinjiang cotton exported by China due to reported forced labour and human rights violation by the Chinese Government.

Japanese brand #Muji, however, continues to feature the "Xinjiang Cotton" shirt collection under the "new products" section of their China website, as of March 25, 2021.

Muji's reaction was seen as an attempt to avoid from being targeted by Chinese netizens' call for boycotting foreign brands that refused to use Xinjiang cotton.

Nevertheless, Muji's parent company #RyohinKeikaku has seen its shares fall 6.8% on the morning of March 25, in Tokyo. According to Nikkei Asia. This suggests that "investors fear the company could be affected by the fallout".

Source: Nikkei Asia; Liberty Times News #Mar25

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Retail/Muji-features-Xinjiang-cotton-as-Chinese-netizens-lash-its-rivals

https://ec.ltn.com.tw/article/breakingnews/3479967

#Kowtow #CCPRules #Ugyhurs
#DoYouKnow #MadeinChina
#XinjiangCotton: How do I know if it's in my jeans?

Xinjiang cotton is some of the best fabric in the world. It's also, human rights campaigners say, produced by forced labour.

Please bear in mind that Xinjiang cotton accounts for 85% of Chinese production and 20% of world supply.

Some Western brands have removed it from their supply chains, leading to a backlash from Chinese celebrities and netizens. Welcome to the row over cotton from the Xinjiang region of China.

Certification schemes for cotton mills, such as Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced (Yess), work to eliminate forced labour from the supply chain.  But that's of limited help to you as a consumer if you're just ordering a pair of jeans off a retailer's website. 

"If you really want to be confident of the traceability of the cotton in your jeans, you have to look for Soil Association organic cotton or Fairtrade," advises Clare Lissaman from Common Objective (CO), a sustainable fashion sourcing platform. 

Source: BBC #Mar27

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56535822

#China #XinjiangCotton #Xinjiang #ForcedLabor
#HumanitarianCrisis
The Truth Behind #XinjiangCotton: Countless Uyghurs Detained, Abused and are Forced to Labor

Source: Stand News #March25

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