Apparel group urges US to lead multinational campaign against forced labour in Xinjiang
- Official from American Apparel and Footwear Association says more countries must jointly apply pressure on China
- US has already issued sanctions on officials and entities for suspected human rights abuse in Xinjiang
A group representing some of the largest US and international apparel companies has called on Washington to convince other countries to pressure China to end forced labour in its Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
An official of the American Apparel and Footwear Association – which represents The Gap, Versace, Jimmy Choo and other brands – said on Thursday that more countries must join diplomatic efforts to halt forced labour in the region.
“The United States has done nothing to bring Europe along, Australia, Canada, Japan, Korea,” Nate Herman, the association’s senior vice-president of policy, said on Thursday in an online discussion hosted by the US-China Business Council.
Herman added that the US needed to “try and bring those other countries, bringing the UN, bringing other international institutions, into this discussion”.
Some of the association’s members, such as PVH Corp – owner of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands – have faced criticism that their products may have involved forced labour from Xinjiang.