Fashion retailer H&M is facing a potential boycott in China after a statement the company made last year expressing deep concern over reports of forced labor in Xinjiang sparked a social media storm this week.
A similar statement from Nike also drew criticism on Wednesday, a sign that Western clothing manufacturers may face growing hostility in China for their public positions against forced labor in Xinjiang and for disrupting cotton supplies in the region.
H&M’s statement, which can be found on the Swedish retailer’s website, was posted in September after a growing global investigation into the use of Uighurs for forced labor in Xinjiang.
In it, H&M said it was “deeply concerned by reports from civil society organizations and the media that include accusations of forced labor and discrimination against ethnic-religious minorities” in Xinjiang and that it stopped buying cotton from producers in the region.
More than eight months later, in the wake of Western countries’ sanctions against China for its treatment of Uighurs, H&M is facing online reaction from Chinese consumers. The outrage was fueled by comments on platforms like the Sina Weibo microblogging website of celebrities and groups like the Communist Youth League, an influential organization of the Communist Party.
“Do you want to make money in China while spreading false rumors and boycotting Xinjiang cotton? Positive thinking! ”The group said in a post, echoing one of the statements by the People’s Liberation Army, which called H&M’s position“ ignorant and arrogant ”.
On Monday, Britain, Canada, the European Union and the United States announced sanctions against Chinese authorities in a growing discussion about the treatment of Uighurs in Xinjiang. Approximately one in five cotton clothing sold globally contains cotton or yarn from the region, where authorities used coercive work programs and mass internment to remodel up to one million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities into model workers obedient to the Communist Party.
Nike may be next. The company published a statement on its website expressing concerns “about reports of forced labor in and connected to” Xinjiang. “Nike does not purchase products” from the region and “we confirm with our contracted suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarns from the region”.
On Wednesday, Nike was at the top of Weibo’s “most wanted searches” list. Some users were furious at Nike’s adherence to the region’s cotton boycott. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Huang Xuan, a Chinese actor who had a men’s fashion contract with H&M, posted a statement saying he would give up the business, adding that he is opposed to “slander and rumors” as well as “any attempt to discredit the country”. Singer and actress Victoria Song – who supported H&M – also released a statement, saying she was no longer related to the brand and that “national interests are above all”.
On Wednesday night, at least three major Chinese e-commerce platforms – Pinduoduo, Jingdong and Tmall – withdrew H&M from search results and withdrew their products from sale. The actions highlighted the pressures faced by foreign companies doing business in China while navigating political and cultural debates such as the country’s sovereignty and its human rights record.
On Wednesday night, H&M China responded with a post on the microblog site Sina Weibo, saying the company did not “represent any political position”.
“The H&M Group respects Chinese consumers as always,” said the statement. “We are committed to long-term investment and development in China.”
H&M is the world’s second largest fashion retailer in sales, after Inditex, which owns Zara, and China is the fourth largest market.
State broadcaster CCTV criticized H&M and said it was “a miscalculation to try to play a fair hero”. H&M, he said, “will definitely pay a high price for its wrong action.”
Claire Fu contributed research.