#Newspaper

Apple imported clothes from Xinjiang firm facing US forced labour sanctions

(11 Aug) The US government in July imposed sanctions on Changji Esquel Textile, a unit of the Hong Kong garment group Esquel, along with 10 other Chinese companies for alleged human rights violations in the Xinjiang region. The sanctions bar companies from buying US technology and other goods. Esquel has denied these allegations.

Esquel supplies many major US clothing companies including Patagonia, Nike and Tommy Hilfiger. In particular, Apple has a history with the firm for many years. It likely produced uniforms for staff in Apple stores. Until recently, Esquel’s website listed Apple as a “major customer”.

Apple said in a statement: “Esquel is not a direct supplier to Apple but our suppliers do use cotton from their facilities in Guangzhou and Vietnam...” However, neither Guangzhou nor Vietnam supply Esquel with cotton.

Of Esquel's many factories across Asia, the only location used “for cotton farming, ginning and spinning” is Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities’ persecution of mostly Muslim minorities has included forced labour. Esquel's Changji and Kashgar units in Xinjiang are among those sanctioned. The latter had a joint venture lasting more than two decades with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary government organisation. The XPCC produces about one-third of China’s cotton.

“It is such a deeply entrenched, and broadly enmeshed system of oppression... that has involved hundreds of companies...” James Millward, professor of history at Georgetown University, said. Even if the companies’ own factories can be certified free of forced labour, they are often working with – or with authorisation from – the local governments to manage the abuse.

Source: MSN
Credit to: Hong Kong Echo

Further reading:
The relationship between XPCC and Hong Kong
https://telegra.ph/The-relationship-between-XPCC-and-Hong-Kong-08-15

#Sanction #Xinjiang #Apple #Patagonia #Nike #TommyHilfiger #Esquel #XPCC

Chinese dissident targets Apple, Nike, others after report says they lobbied to weaken forced labor bill

In the United States, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is designed to cracker down on ellegef human rights abuses against Muslim minority groups in Vjins’s far west,. The bill come under pressure from multinational companies including Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola, according to a report in the New York Times.

Exiled Chinese dissident Badiucao, who in September was awarded the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent, took to Twitter to launch a series of satirical images targeting Nike, Apple and Coca-Cola for their alleged efforts to weaken the bill.

One of Badiucao's satirical images tries to draw a contrast with Nike's endorsement of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick's "take a knee" initiative. The Apple image mimics the company's iPhone advertising, but changes the product name to "iChain."

Source: CNBC #Dec04

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/04/china-uighurs-artist-badiucao-targets-apple-nike-coca-cola-muji.html?__source=iosappshare%7Ccom.apple.UIKit.activity.CopyToPasteboard

#Uyghur #China Badiucao #Nike #Apple #CocaCola

Well... #Chinese wumaos can always wear NIRE instead of #NIKE 🤡
-
#ccp #counterfeit #BCI #xinjiangcotton #meme #english #diyms #uyghurs #forcedlabour

H&M gets wiped off major Chinese apps after an old statement about forced labor reappears

Swedish clothing retailer H&M disappeared from major Chinese shopping sites and mapping apps after resurfaced comments, reportedly from last year, about its concerns over alleged forced labor in China's western region of Xinjiang.

“H&M" and "hm" in English on Taobao and JD.com yielded no results. Meanwhile, Alibaba-owned mapping app Amap as well as Baidu Maps did not display any results for the search term "H&M."

Nike also faced backlash after a statement surfaced on Chinese social media in which the sports giant said it was "concerned" about reports of forced labor in Xinjiang.

Source: CNBC #Mar25

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/25/backlash-on-nike-hm-in-china-over-comments-on-xinjiang-cotton.html

#XinjiangCotton #Xinjiang #China #HM #Nike #China

H&M, Nike Face Boycotts in China as Xinjiang Dilemma Deepens

U.S. and European retail brands in China are suddenly facing a dilemma: Embrace cotton from the contentious Xinjiang region and come under attack in the West, or reject it and risk a boycott in the world’s second-biggest economy.

After social-media users dug out an undated company statement accusing of forced labor in Xinjiang, the Communist Youth League and the People’s Liberation Army calls to boycott the Swedish retailer, Hennes & Mauritz AB. This campaign spreads quickly to Nike.

H&M shares fell as much as 4.4% in Stockholm. Nike shares fell as much as 5.4% in New York before the start of regular trading on Mar 25.

Source: Bloomberg #Mar25

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-25/h-m-nike-face-boycotts-in-china-as-xinjiang-becomes-wedge-issue #HM

#Xinjiang #HM #Nike #PLA #ForceLabor #China #XinjiangCotton

Be like H&M and Nike. Don’t be like H&N and Nire. And DON’T be like Hugo Boss!!!!
-
I wonder... some celebs were very quick to say that they “support Xinjiang cotton”. But this is all sugarcoating isn’t it, dare they say “I suppose Uyghur forced labour?”
-
#ccp #china #counterfeit #nike #hm #xinjiangcotton #cotton #english #diyms

#Hypernationalism #XinjiangCotton
Chinese Netizens Attack Foreign Brands and Insist on Xinjiang Cotton, Dismissing Human Rights Breaches

Apparel brands including H&M, Zara, Addidas, and Nike issued a statement in 2020, voicing concern for the reportedly forced labor in the cotton production in Xinjiang.

After the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have coordinated a joint sanction on China over the human rights violation in Xinjiang, the Chinese government and the state-owned media turned to attack foreign brands.

On the social media platform, China's Communist Youth League condemned H&M for "spreading rumors" while "trying to make a profit in China". The same comment was also announced by the state broadcaster CCTV.

The state-owned newspaper People's Daily also attacked H&M on its #Weibo, reiterating that "China's Xinjiang cotton is white and flawless." Many Chinese brands immediately put on tags in support of "China's Xinjiang cotton".

Chinese netizens and Internet personnel also joined in the boycott and attack. Some even uploaded photos of themselves burning down items from these brands while some vandalized the billboard of these brands. Chinese celebrities in showbiz also prominently cut ties with foreign brands.

Source: Stand News #Mar25
https://bit.ly/39fmgjP

#Netizens #Adidas #Nike #Zara #HM #PeoplesDaily #HumanRights #Xinjiang

#Nike is one of the companies that said "no" to cotton from China's Xinjiang region. It cited concerns over #ForcedLabor.

The #CCP then urged people to boycott those foreign brands, including Nike. But some Chinese sports associations are facing a dilemma.

Watch full episode👉https://youtu.be/XDoZ_9iIHas