Chinese researchers say Xinjiang forced labour claims can’t be true because of increased mechanisation and earning potential from picking cotton

Chinese researchers have published a new paper rejecting accusations of forced labour in Xinjiang’s cotton industry, citing increased mechanisation and high earnings.

A paper published in December by German researcher Adrian Zenz analysed Chinese government data and documentation and concluded that Xinjiang’s cotton-picking industry was heavily reliant on the forced labour of Uygurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic group that makes up roughly half of the region’s population.

Researchers from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing published a paper this week dismissing forced labour claims, citing dozens of on-the-ground interviews with Uygurs conducted in March in southern Xinjiang.

“The survey found that the Western accusations on cotton picking in Xinjiang are seriously lacking factual basis, and there are no signs of forced labour in all links of the cotton production process in Xinjiang,” the paper said.

Global corporations are currently wrestling with the question of whether to divest their supply chains from Xinjiang.