Xinjiang police files: Global brand reputation troubled by business losses

Beijing: Released Xinjiang Police FilesThe extent and extremely repressive nature of China’s mass detention policies in East Turkestan have forced companies that source cotton from China’s territory to rethink their supply chains. 
Cotton xinjiang Widely used in the global apparel industry. As of last fall, 16 percent of cotton clothing on store shelves in the United States contained fiber from Xinjiang, The New York Times reported, citing a survey by Oritain, a company that conducts forensic testing to determine the origin of the raw material. 
As the New York Times reports, regulation coming into force soon in the United States will allow customs officials to confiscate shipments of any goods made in Xinjiang, unless companies can prove that their supply chain is forcibly not contaminated by labor. 
the new rule called Uyghur The Forced Labor Prevention Act, and companies’ inability to determine what is happening in their supply chains, are highlighting decades of expanding clothing industry in China. 
But this has put international brands in a dilemma. It is difficult for them to decide whether to leave Xinjiang. The reputational risk from the West and the legal cost they can bear by staying put is enormous, yet brands in China face major commercial losses, the New York Times reported.

With rising costs and increasing competition for both cotton and shipping, there is also the challenge of finding new partners.
Speaking out about Xinjiang can spark nationalist Chinese consumer outrage, with calls for boycotts and accusations of companies colluding with Western governments in an attempt to keep China down. That anger has cost companies like H&M and Nike a total of hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales, the New York Times reports.
With this fear, several brands that have spoken out against forced labor in the past decided not to comment on the issue.
It came into limelight after China’s repression of the Uighur people released policy documents with detailed systematic abuse in Xinjiang.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet Recently visited Xinjiang during his six day visit to China from 23-28 May.
His visit attracted widespread criticism as he said the visit was “not an investigation” but insisted he spoke with “clarity” during his meetings with Chinese officials.
The World Uyghur Congress group said Bachelet had wasted a historic opportunity to investigate the Uyghur genocide and bring justice to the Uyghur people.
Human rights groups said the visit had become a “publicity opportunity” for China to whitewash its crimes against humanity and genocide against the Uyghur people.
Ahead of Bachelet’s visit to China, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and 59 other groups urged High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to take steps to prevent the Chinese government from manipulating the trip.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu said on Saturday, “As far as human rights protection is concerned, no one can claim perfection. China will follow the human rights development path that is compatible with its natural conditions, and promote peace, development.” will advocate for the shared values ​​of humanity including equality, justice, democracy and liberty.”
The United States also criticized Beijing’s efforts to restrict and manipulate the visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and her team to China, which “did not enable a full and independent assessment of the human rights environment” in the country, including Xinjiang. also includes. , where “genocide and crimes against humanity continue”.
Courtesy: The New York Times