BEIJING (AP) – Chinese state television on Thursday called for a boycott of H&M, while Beijing attacked foreign clothing and footwear brands following Western sanctions on Chinese officials accused of human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region.
The ruling Communist Party has criticized H&M for declaring in March 2020 that it will stop buying cotton in northwest China. The Swedish retailer has joined other brands in expressing concern about reports of forced labor there.
The Global Times also criticized Burberry’s statements. Adidas, Nike, New Balance and Zara about Xinjiang since two years ago.
“For companies that reach the bottom line of our country, the answer is very clear: do not buy!” China Central Television said on its social media account. It was said that H and M in the Swedish name represent the Chinese words meaning lie and lie.
The attacks followed a decision by the European Union on Monday in 27 nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, to impose travel and financial sanctions on four Chinese officials accused of abusing Xinjiang.
More than 1 million people in Xinjiang, mostly from predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, have been imprisoned in labor camps, according to researchers and foreign governments. Beijing denies abusing them and says it is trying to promote economic development and eliminate radicalism.
“The so-called existence of forced labor in the Xinjiang region is totally fictitious,” said Ministry of Commerce spokesman Gao Feng. He urged foreign companies to “correct the wrong practices”, but did not say what they expected them to do.
Celebrities, including Wang Yibo, a popular singer and actor, have announced that they are violating the approval contracts with H&M and Nike.
H&M products were missing from China’s most popular e-commerce platforms, Alibaba Group TMall and JD.com. News reports said they were removed because of public criticism of his statement in Xinjiang. The companies did not respond to requests for comment.
Beijing often attacks foreign clothing, car, travel and other brands for their government actions or to put pressure on companies to comply with its official positions on Taiwan, Tibet and other sensitive issues.
Companies usually apologize and change websites or advertisements to maintain access to China, one of the largest global markets. But Xinjiang is an unusually thorny issue. Western brands are facing pressure at home to distance themselves from possible abuses.
A loss of sales in China, the only major economy in which consumer spending has returned to pre-pandemic levels, can be particularly painful at a time when US and European demand is weak.
The H&M Group “represents no political views” and “respects Chinese consumers,” the company said on its social media account.
The company said it employs 350 Chinese producers to produce products that “respect the principles of sustainable development.” H&M said it is “dedicated to long-term investment and development in China.”
H&M had 520 stores and sales of $ 1.4 billion in China in 2019, the last year for which annual figures were reported. China is the third largest market after Germany and the United States.
Criticism began when the ruling party’s Youth League on Wednesday drew attention to H & M’s March statement last year on its social media account. He gave no indication as to why he chose the company or an explanation for quoting a one-year-old statement.
“Spread lies to boycott Xinjiang while you want to make money in China? Pleasant thinking “, said the Youth League.
The Global Times said Burberry, Adidas, Nike and New Balance also made “remarks” about Xinjiang cotton. A separate report from the Global Times quoted Zara as saying it had a “zero tolerance approach to forced labor”.
Last year’s H&M statement cited a decision by the Better Cotton Initiative, an industry group that promotes environmental and labor standards, to stop licensing cotton in Xinjiang because it was “increasingly difficult” to track how which was produced. In September, H&M announced that it would stop working with a Chinese manufacturer that was accused of using forced labor in a unit unrelated to the Swedish brand.
In January, Washington imposed a ban on imports of cotton from Xinjiang, a major supplier of clothing to Western markets.
China’s official outrage focused on Europe, probably because relations with the EU had been amicable amid resentment with Washington over trade disputes and allegations of Chinese espionage and technology theft.
H & M’s official criticism reflected that tone of dissatisfaction because he was hurt by a friend.
“How can H&M eat Chinese rice and then break China’s pot?” state television said in a comment Wednesday.
Internet comments cited Japanese clothing brands Uniqlo and The Gap of the United States as other possible offenders. It was not clear how many of these accounts were members of the public and how many were run by the ruling party’s vast propaganda apparatus.
Pop star Wang’s announcement that he was stepping down as Nike’s “brand ambassador” did not mention Xinjiang. He said he “strongly resists any words and actions that pollute China.”
Others, including singer and actress Song Qian, a former member of the Korean pop group f (x), also known as Victoria Song, and actor Huang Xuan, have announced that they will conclude support contracts with H&M. Actress Tang Songyun said she is breaking ties with Nike.
Chinese sports shoe brand ANTA has announced that it is withdrawing from BCI, the cotton industry group.