https://www.scmp.com/rss/509430/feed In March 2021, Chinese social media began to buzz with the news that European fashion companies such as H&M had publicly disavowed the use of cotton produced in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, citing allegations that forced labour was being used in its production. Although some of these statements had been made the previous year, the rise in awareness led to public boycotts of the brands, and some of the products being removed from Chinese-owned online marketplaces. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Meredith Chen Meredith Chen Despite US-led sanctions, Xinjiang’s textile industry expanded last year to create tens of thousands of jobs, a senior official said, pledging stronger support for companies affected by the restrictions. Wang Kuiran, secretary general of the far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region government, said yarn output rose more than 20 per cent in 2025. According to Wang, fabric production increased 36 per cent year on year and the sector – a key target of Western sanctions – created 46,800 new jobs... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345813/46800-jobs-xinjiang-official-says-textile-industry-growing-despite-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345813/46800-jobs-xinjiang-official-says-textile-industry-growing-despite-us-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 09:42:23 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang As Washington and its allies continue to slap sanctions related to Xinjiang on Chinese companies, citing allegations of human rights violations, a group of scholars is trying to challenge some of those claims, digging into their years of field research and networks of contacts in the far western autonomous region. Yet in their efforts to debunk the claims, the academics keep running into a brick wall: the reticence of regional authorities. Generally seen by Beijing as well meaning, the scholars... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327681/data-access-challenge-china-trying-counter-us-xinjiang-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3327681/data-access-challenge-china-trying-counter-us-xinjiang-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang Chinese scholars have criticised US-led sanctions over Xinjiang, saying their research showed the measures had resulted in long-term economic damage, including job losses. The findings, presented at an academic seminar in Hong Kong last month, offered one of the first aggregated assessments of the impacts of US sanctions imposed on Chinese companies over alleged human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Beijing has denied those accusations and condemned the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325377/after-years-us-sanctions-how-xinjiangs-economy-doing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3325377/after-years-us-sanctions-how-xinjiangs-economy-doing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Sep 2025 22:00:15 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong China has unveiled the world’s first laser topping robot, overcoming a major hurdle in cotton’s laborious cultivation cycle to achieve the quest for fully mechanised cotton production, according to its developer. Cotton topping involves removing the plant’s top bud to redirect nutrients towards lateral branches, boosting boll formation and yield – a process that has long been plagued by inefficiency, inaccuracy and crop damage. The laser topping robot was jointly developed by Xinjiang University... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3317806/chinas-cotton-topping-robot-promises-fully-automated-production-xinjiang-crop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3317806/chinas-cotton-topping-robot-promises-fully-automated-production-xinjiang-crop?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jul 2025 12:00:06 +0000 China has hit back at the US following intensified curbs by the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden, with Beijing announcing multifront probes of American firms – declaring that the parent company of clothing brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger has engaged in “inappropriate conduct” on Xinjiang matters – and threatening to investigate US chip companies. The tit-for-tat approach, analysts said, could be a sign of Beijing’s rehearsal for negotiations with Donald Trump, who will be... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3295032/china-accuses-pvh-group-inappropriate-conduct-xinjiang-matters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3295032/china-accuses-pvh-group-inappropriate-conduct-xinjiang-matters?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:43:34 +0000 The United States has banned imports from another tranche of Chinese companies over alleged human-rights abuses involving the Uygurs, targeting 37 textile, mining and solar companies, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday. The companies include Huafu Fashion, one of the world’s largest textile manufacturers, and 25 of its subsidiaries, which the US has linked to forced-labour practices in China’s cotton industry. The companies were added to the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3294765/us-targets-china-textile-giant-huafu-fashion-over-uygur-forced-labour-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3294765/us-targets-china-textile-giant-huafu-fashion-over-uygur-forced-labour-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:57:45 +0000 A lawyer for Shein summoned to a British parliamentary hearing evaded questions Tuesday on whether the fast-fashion giant sells products containing cotton from China, angering lawmakers seeking answers on the retailer’s labour practices and allegations of forced labour in its supply chains. Executives from Shein and its rival Temu were grilled on their labour rights compliance and how they source their products at parliament’s business and trade committee Tuesday. The hearing came amid reports... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3293815/uk-lawmakers-slam-shein-refusing-answer-questions-china-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3293815/uk-lawmakers-slam-shein-refusing-answer-questions-china-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 21:03:04 +0000 China’s Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into the parent company of clothing brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, potentially opening a new front in trade disputes between the United States and China. The ministry said it was considering adding PVH Group to its Unreliable Entity List for “violating normal market transaction principles by arbitrarily boycotting Xinjiang cotton and other products”. At stake for the American clothing company is its business... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3279882/china-probes-us-clothing-company-over-xinjiang-cotton-policy-may-lead-blacklisting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3279882/china-probes-us-clothing-company-over-xinjiang-cotton-policy-may-lead-blacklisting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:00:32 +0000 The parent company of clothing brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger said on Tuesday that it was in communication with the Chinese government over allegations that the firm has undertaken “discriminatory” measures related to products from the country’s far western Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. In a move that threatens to compound already fraught trade tensions with the United States, China’s Ministry of Commerce revealed earlier on Tuesday that it initiated an investigation into PVH Group... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3279760/china-probe-calvin-klein-tommy-hilfiger-parent-firm-over-xinjiang-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3279760/china-probe-calvin-klein-tommy-hilfiger-parent-firm-over-xinjiang-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2024 08:51:42 +0000 After Hong Yongcheng’s American customers began to shy away from renewing their orders – a change the towel factory owner attributed to heightened restrictions on Chinese imports – he responded in unexpected fashion. Rather than try to win back those skittish buyers from overseas, he started a new production line in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – an area of China where exports to the US are all but forbidden. “I don’t see much hope in getting American orders back, so producing from... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3273899/china-has-turned-inward-sell-xinjiang-cotton-after-trade-ban-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3273899/china-has-turned-inward-sell-xinjiang-cotton-after-trade-ban-will-it-be-enough?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2024 22:00:12 +0000 China’s July consumer price index was slightly higher than projected in a poll of economists by financial information provider Wind but still within the plus or minus 1 per cent range it has inhabited since last February. CPI rose by 0.5 per cent vs the estimate of 0.3 per cent and June’s 0.2 per cent level. It was the sixth consecutive month in positive territory, providing a glimmer of hope that a newly minted government effort to stimulate consumer spending may be making progress. To date,... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3273819/china-consumer-prices-rise-slightly-cabinet-releases-plan-boost-services-consumption-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3273819/china-consumer-prices-rise-slightly-cabinet-releases-plan-boost-services-consumption-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2024 09:00:13 +0000 Chinese social media users have reacted to Nike’s new Paris Olympics advert with disgust, after it showed a table tennis athlete licking her paddle. The advert, titled ‘Am I A Bad Person?’, features some of the biggest names in sport, including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Serena Williams, Zheng Qinwen, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe. However, six seconds into the video, which is narrated by Hollywood star Willem Dafoe, an actress playing an Asian table tennis athlete licks the edge of her... https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3271514/nike-olympics-ad-featuring-athlete-licking-table-tennis-paddle-sparks-disgust-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3271514/nike-olympics-ad-featuring-athlete-licking-table-tennis-paddle-sparks-disgust-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 07:00:12 +0000 British authorities must reconsider whether to open a probe into the importation of cotton allegedly produced by slave labour in the Chinese region of Xinjiang, a London court ruled on Thursday, allowing an appeal by a Uygur rights group. The World Uygur Congress, an international organisation of exiled Uygur groups, took legal action against Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) after it declined to begin a criminal investigation. Rights groups and the US government accuse China of widespread... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268350/uygur-group-wins-appeal-over-uk-probe-slave-labour-cotton-chinas-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3268350/uygur-group-wins-appeal-over-uk-probe-slave-labour-cotton-chinas-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:00:10 +0000 This is the first in a four-part series about China’s military development, from weapons and aircraft to its role in the global supply chain and how it compares with the United States. In early May, a chemical plant in China’s central Hubei province exploded, killing three people. The culprit was nitrocellulose, a highly flammable material made from cotton. The plant belonged to Hubei Xuefei Chemical, China’s second largest producer of nitrocellulose. And within days, the accident in Laohekou... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3266505/could-china-strangle-europes-weapons-output-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3266505/could-china-strangle-europes-weapons-output-cotton?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 22:00:20 +0000 The United States blocked imports from 26 Chinese cotton traders or warehouse facilities on Thursday as part of its effort to eliminate goods made with the forced labour of Uygur minorities from the US supply chain. The companies are the latest additions to the Uygur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List that restricts the import of goods tied to what the US government has characterised as an ongoing genocide of minorities in China’s Xinjiang region. US officials believe Chinese authorities... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3262969/us-bars-imports-26-cotton-manufacturers-over-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3262969/us-bars-imports-26-cotton-manufacturers-over-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 May 2024 14:40:56 +0000 Traces of banned Chinese cotton were found in 19 per cent of a sample of merchandise selling at US and global retailers in the past year, a study showed, highlighting the challenges of complying with the US law aimed at blocking imports of cotton linked to forced labour in China. In the study released on Tuesday, researchers from natural resource analytics, isotope testing firm Stratum Reservoir and DNA lab Applied DNA Sciences analysed garment samples, cotton buds and shoes from big box... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261802/banned-chinese-cotton-xinjiang-found-19-cent-us-and-global-retailers-merchandise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3261802/banned-chinese-cotton-xinjiang-found-19-cent-us-and-global-retailers-merchandise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 May 2024 20:06:07 +0000 A “revolutionary shift” in the technology used in Xinjiang’s textile mills has seen a record surge in exports, in defiance of US sanctions that have barred most Western fashion labels from selling any product woven with a strand of the region’s cotton. Customs records show Xinjiang’s textile exports last year reached 108 billion yuan (US$14.8 billion), with a 74 per cent jump for yarn and other raw materials, and a rise of 30 per cent for clothing. The 2023 results followed Washington’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3260766/how-5g-ai-and-cotton-revolution-helped-china-beat-us-xinjiang-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3260766/how-5g-ai-and-cotton-revolution-helped-china-beat-us-xinjiang-sanctions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:00:18 +0000 While US lawmakers hit global headlines for pushing a bill aimed at forcing China’s ByteDance to divest of its TikTok operations in the US, the European Union has passed relatively low-key rules targeting China’s commercial interests. The EU’s measures, however, could have a more far-reaching impact on Chinese industries. Arguably the most controversial is the EU’s new directive governing the oversight of international business supply chains. This will require large EU-based companies to monitor... https://www.scmp.com/comment/china-opinion/article/3256435/eu-has-reason-keep-things-sweet-china-despite-protectionist-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/china-opinion/article/3256435/eu-has-reason-keep-things-sweet-china-despite-protectionist-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Mar 2024 12:30:12 +0000 The European Union reached a provisional agreement on Tuesday to ban goods made using forced labour, advancing legislation that was broadly written with China in mind. The ban, which still needs to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council – made up of EU member states – will target specific economic sectors in places where state-imposed forced labour exists, based on a database drawn up by the European Commission. China is not named in the documentation, given the need to comply... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254253/eu-reaches-deal-forced-labour-ban-chinas-xinjiang-its-sights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3254253/eu-reaches-deal-forced-labour-ban-chinas-xinjiang-its-sights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Mar 2024 10:02:26 +0000 In recent years, the US has sought to block Chinese imports deemed to contain content produced with forced labour from the country’s Xinjiang region – but at least one Chinese company is fighting back. Ninestar, a Chinese laser printer manufacturer, sued in the US Court of International Trade in August after the company and its seven subsidiaries were blacklisted under the Uygur Forced Labor Protection Act, which was enacted by Congress in 2021 to block goods made in Xinjiang from the US. Once a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3247203/guilty-until-proven-innocent-chinese-firm-challenges-us-law-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3247203/guilty-until-proven-innocent-chinese-firm-challenges-us-law-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:25:13 +0000 Beijing has sanctioned US risk intelligence firm Kharon and two researchers in response to the latest Xinjiang-related sanctions by Washington, its foreign ministry announced on Tuesday. The firm, which provides analysis on investment risks – including those regarding Xinjiang – has been sanctioned by the Chinese government in a tit-for-tat response to US Treasury sanctions earlier this month on Chinese entities over their links to alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3246309/xinjiang-china-adds-us-risk-intelligence-firm-kharon-and-researchers-sanctions-list-over-human?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3246309/xinjiang-china-adds-us-risk-intelligence-firm-kharon-and-researchers-sanctions-list-over-human?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Dec 2023 12:00:22 +0000 The United States has sanctioned another two Chinese officials over alleged links to human rights abuses against Uygurs and other ethnic minorities in the far western region of Xinjiang. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said on Friday that the sanctions applied to Gao Qi, a former police chief at the Ili Kazakh autonomous prefecture in northern Xinjiang, and Hu Lianhe, an official from the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department responsible for shaping... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244558/xinjiang-us-adds-more-chinese-officials-and-companies-sanctions-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3244558/xinjiang-us-adds-more-chinese-officials-and-companies-sanctions-list?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2023 13:00:21 +0000 Swedish fast fashion giant H&M unveiled a China design hub this week amid efforts to improve the localisation of its products, as foreign firms struggle to cater to the changing demands of Chinese consumers. The clothing brand has faced a backlash within China following its decision to not buy cotton produced in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region from 2020, with a boycott following a year later. But at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Monday, H&M vowed a continued commitment... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3240781/hm-unveils-china-design-hub-ciie-improve-localisation-foreign-brands-face-pressure-meet-consumer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3240781/hm-unveils-china-design-hub-ciie-improve-localisation-foreign-brands-face-pressure-meet-consumer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Nov 2023 13:15:22 +0000 Shein is touting its hopes for a valuation of as much as US$90 billion as it lays the groundwork for an eventual US initial public offering (IPO), a level that far exceeds how the fast-fashion giant is valued in private trades, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has told prospective investors that it is aiming to fetch a valuation of US$80 billion to US$90 billion in a listing, the people said. The timing of the share sale remains uncertain given the market volatility,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3240612/china-founded-e-commerce-start-shein-said-aim-us90-billion-valuation-us-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3240612/china-founded-e-commerce-start-shein-said-aim-us90-billion-valuation-us-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Nov 2023 06:25:36 +0000 A newly unveiled free-trade hub in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region will put the focus on “innovative” and “labour-intensive” manufacturing industries, as Chinese leaders look to turn the US-sanctioned region into an export gateway to Central Asia, South Asia and Europe. A pilot scheme will take hold in three parts of the country’s northwestern region – Kashgar, Khorgos and the capital city of Urumqi – and it could be up to five years before Xinjiang officially becomes a free-trade zone,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3239984/china-turning-us-sanctioned-xinjiang-free-trade-hub-strengthening-geopolitical-edge-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3239984/china-turning-us-sanctioned-xinjiang-free-trade-hub-strengthening-geopolitical-edge-region?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2023 12:30:22 +0000 Western China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region defied Western sanctions in the first nine months of the year as its foreign trade hit a record high. Overseas shipments in the first three quarters of the year jumped by 47 per cent from a year earlier to 253 billion yuan (US$34.6 billion), already surpassing the total for 2022, according to Urumqi customs. The growth was achieved despite Western economic sanctions imposed due to China’s alleged human rights abuses, spying and support of Russia’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3239005/china-trade-xinjiang-defies-western-sanctions-foreign-trade-hits-record-high-surges-47?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3239005/china-trade-xinjiang-defies-western-sanctions-foreign-trade-hits-record-high-surges-47?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Oct 2023 13:00:13 +0000 On the rim of Xinjiang’s desert, in a region where the soil is so salty that most vegetation refuses to grow, China is touting rising outputs of salt-tolerant rice as further evidence that its food-security drive has taken root. Beijing expects rising yields of genetically modified crops, especially in remote and rural areas where arable soil is rare, to help serve as a long-term solution to ensuring that the nation’s 1.4 billion people are kept fed. After an on-site inspection on Friday, an... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3238122/china-food-security-advanced-rice-thriving-where-most-vegetation-dies-salt-deserts-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3238122/china-food-security-advanced-rice-thriving-where-most-vegetation-dies-salt-deserts-xinjiang?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Oct 2023 00:00:15 +0000 The US State Department reiterated a warning to American businesses about the risks of violating a new law that seeks to combat alleged forced labour in China, including new data showing a surge in shipments stopped at the US border. US customs officials began enforcing the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act in June last year. The legislation drew strong bipartisan support and was signed into law by US President Joe Biden in 2021. Over the following year, shipment denials steadily rose. Drawing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235917/us-sounds-warning-american-businesses-china-forced-labour-shipment-denials-surge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3235917/us-sounds-warning-american-businesses-china-forced-labour-shipment-denials-surge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Sep 2023 22:38:39 +0000 The most senior official in Xinjiang has met a delegation from the United Nations labour group as China seeks to counter accusations of forced labour and other human rights abuses in the region. Analyst said the meeting marked a shift away from “passively responding” to human rights criticisms on Xinjiang, and may pave the way for a field study by the International Labour Organization. ‘Seen Xinjiang with our own eyes’: Central Asian media get ‘image-building’ tour Xinjiang’s party chief Ma... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3233161/xinjiang-party-chief-meets-un-labour-group-china-seeks-confront-forced-labour-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3233161/xinjiang-party-chief-meets-un-labour-group-china-seeks-confront-forced-labour-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2023 13:25:26 +0000 Canada’s corporate ethics watchdog on Thursday announced investigations into the Canadian units of Walmart and Hugo Boss to investigate allegations of Uygur forced labour in the companies’ supply chains and operations. The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) said it had published an initial assessment report after complaints filed by a coalition of 28 civil society organisations in June 2022. CORE will also investigate the Canadian unit of fashion firm Diesel, which is owned... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3232226/canada-investigating-walmart-and-hugo-boss-over-claims-forced-uygur-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3232226/canada-investigating-walmart-and-hugo-boss-over-claims-forced-uygur-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 19:58:59 +0000 One year after a US import ban was implemented, China has grown less cotton in its Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with a significant drop in output expected this year amid a quality push and food security drive. China, which provides over 20 per cent of the world’s cotton, mostly from the western region of Xinjiang, may see its production fall by more than 10 per cent as it places an emphasis on quality over quantity and makes room for crops, according to analysts and farmers. Climate shocks... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3232196/chinas-cotton-output-set-fall-1-year-after-us-xinjiang-ban-focus-shifts-food-security-quality?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3232196/chinas-cotton-output-set-fall-1-year-after-us-xinjiang-ban-focus-shifts-food-security-quality?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Aug 2023 16:00:11 +0000 Canada’s corporate watchdog on Tuesday launched an investigation of Ralph Lauren’s Canadian unit over allegations the fashion giant used forced labour from China’s Uygur minority. The announcement follows similar probes of Nike Canada and Canadian mining firm Dynasty Gold, which the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (Core) began last month. A coalition of 28 civil society organisations last year filed a complaint with the watchdog alleging “Ralph Lauren Canada has supply... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3231214/ralph-lauren-investigated-canada-over-uygur-forced-labour-claims?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3231214/ralph-lauren-investigated-canada-over-uygur-forced-labour-claims?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Aug 2023 20:24:47 +0000 Cotton planting acreage in China, the world’s top grower of the plant, has dropped significantly in the span of a year, amid a US-led boycott and Beijing’s aggressive push to boost national grain production. Farmers had grown about 41.4 million mu of cotton (2.76 million hectares) as of the end of May, 10.3 per cent less than a year prior, a market-monitoring platform under the country’s operator of state cotton reserves said on Wednesday, using a common Chinese unit of measurement. The decline... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3225965/china-sees-critical-grains-cut-copious-cotton-yields-including-boycotted-xinjiang-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3225965/china-sees-critical-grains-cut-copious-cotton-yields-including-boycotted-xinjiang-region?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2023 13:30:18 +0000 The US ban on imports from China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has shown “concerning” gaps and loopholes in enforcement and stronger constraints are needed, witnesses told a China policy panel’s hearing on Tuesday. Testifying to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), scholars and activists recommended that the US put more Xinjiang-origin products under prioritised scrutiny, blacklist more Chinese firms and push allies for broader import bans to leave “no safe harbour” in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3217508/us-law-banning-xinjiang-imports-has-glaring-weaknesses-lawmakers-are-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3217508/us-law-banning-xinjiang-imports-has-glaring-weaknesses-lawmakers-are-told?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Apr 2023 17:50:06 +0000 Beijing has used anti-espionage laws to punish Chinese nationals for providing overseas organisations with Xinjiang-related documents, some of which were used to fuel allegations of forced labour, according to cases made public on Friday. Details of the cases were revealed in an article posted on the website of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, the Communist Party’s top security body responsible for overseeing all law enforcement agencies, national security and intelligence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3217114/china-punishes-citizens-sharing-information-xinjiang-top-security-body-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3217114/china-punishes-citizens-sharing-information-xinjiang-top-security-body-reveals?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Apr 2023 12:00:23 +0000 Exports to the United States from China’s far west Xinjiang region tumbled to below US$1 million for the first time on record in February, eight months after a law effectively banning American imports over forced labour concerns came into effect. Companies from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region exported US$497,440 worth of goods to the US last month, representing a drop of almost 90 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to Chinese customs data. The reading was the lowest... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3214287/china-trade-xinjiangs-us-exports-down-90-cent-february-8-months-after-forced-labour-law-came-effect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3214287/china-trade-xinjiangs-us-exports-down-90-cent-february-8-months-after-forced-labour-law-came-effect?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Mar 2023 09:30:17 +0000 Xinjiang’s monthly exports to the United States saw the biggest year-on-year decline in November after a new law took effect in June that was aimed at banning goods from the far western region of China over allegations of forced labour. Companies from the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region exported US$16.84 million worth of goods to the US in November, a drop of 64 per cent compared with the same month last year, according to Chinese customs data. The slump, which was led by apparel, once the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204146/us-bound-exports-chinas-xinjiang-drop-64-cent-monthly-trade-data-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3204146/us-bound-exports-chinas-xinjiang-drop-64-cent-monthly-trade-data-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Dec 2022 12:30:10 +0000 China’s total cotton production this year is expected to increase by 5.8 per cent year on year, despite a significant drop in production in the drought-hit Yangtze River region, according to an industry report. Total cotton production nationwide is expected to reach 6.138 million tonnes in 2022, of which 5.634 million tonnes is expected to be produced in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to the China Cotton Market Monitoring System report. The survey was conducted nationwide from... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3200999/china-cotton-production-set-grow-2022-xinjiang-offsets-drought-hit-yangtze-river-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3200999/china-cotton-production-set-grow-2022-xinjiang-offsets-drought-hit-yangtze-river-region?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Nov 2022 14:00:10 +0000 Cotton-yarn imports into China plunged this year to their lowest level in a decade, sending exporting countries such as India on a hunt for alternative destinations. China is the world’s largest importer of cotton yarn from the likes of India, Vietnam, Pakistan and Uzbekistan, as its own spinning mills do not produce enough to feed its apparel and textile industry. However, the value of China’s cotton-yarn imports declined by 33.2 per cent in the first nine months of this year to US$2.8 billion,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200142/china-trade-decade-low-import-cotton-yarn-reflects-global-slowdown-clothing-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3200142/china-trade-decade-low-import-cotton-yarn-reflects-global-slowdown-clothing-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Nov 2022 04:30:13 +0000 After a sweeping US ban on products from China’s Xinjiang region came into effect in June, two pillars of local agriculture – known as “white and red” – have experienced very different fates. Xinjiang’s tomato and cotton industries each play a crucial role in the global supply chain; the region produces a quarter of the world’s tomatoes and a fifth of its cotton. But after both were designated by the US as “high-risk” under the Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act, cotton has suffered the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3195195/why-has-us-ban-xinjiangs-tomato-exports-had-such-limited-effect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/article/3195195/why-has-us-ban-xinjiangs-tomato-exports-had-such-limited-effect?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Oct 2022 00:00:12 +0000 As the cotton harvest gets under way in Xinjiang, scenes of frenzied buying at mills that were a feature of last year are nowhere to be seen. The spot price of cotton from the autonomous region has fallen by almost a quarter since Washington effectively banned imports of Xinjiang goods over alleged forced labour in June. But the sluggish market is not just limited to China’s far western region, which is home to one fifth of global cotton output. The industry worldwide is facing pressure from a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3195043/chinas-cotton-harvest-begins-us-xinjiang-forced-labour-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3195043/chinas-cotton-harvest-begins-us-xinjiang-forced-labour-law?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Oct 2022 03:00:13 +0000 On the 29th of August, at the height of the busy import season before America’s annual holiday shopping boom, a crate of T-shirts and toys arrived at the Port of Long Beach in California after a journey of thousands of miles from Yantian Port in Southern China. The 21kg of shirts (46lbs) and 3kg (6.6lbs) of toys were on their way to Massachusetts and New York – two almost negligible entries among the billions of dollars in US-China trade every year. But they were both shipped from the same... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3193616/how-xinjiang-still-shipping-millions-goods-us-after-forced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3193616/how-xinjiang-still-shipping-millions-goods-us-after-forced?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Sep 2022 15:00:09 +0000 The actions of the Chinese government in Xinjiang, including the detention and persecution of Uygurs and other ethnic Muslim groups, “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity”, said a long-awaited United Nations report on conditions in the region. Released just before midnight on the rights chief Michelle Bachelet’s last day in office, the report said some of Beijing’s policies had resulted in “serious human rights violations” in Xinjiang, and urged the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190909/china-may-have-committed-crimes-against-humanity-xinjiang-un?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3190909/china-may-have-committed-crimes-against-humanity-xinjiang-un?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Aug 2022 23:08:50 +0000 Xinjiang’s clothing exports to the United States surged to their highest point in nearly two years in July, the first full month after the US began enforcing a law to block goods from the far-west region of China due to forced labour concerns there, according to Beijing’s most recent customs data. The Chinese government’s figures show Xinjiang continued to send tens of thousands of shirts, pants, jackets and dresses as well as millions of pairs of socks to the US, among other clothing items,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3190901/xinjiang-exports-us-hit-two-year-high-despite-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3190901/xinjiang-exports-us-hit-two-year-high-despite-uygur-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Aug 2022 19:30:22 +0000 Global fashion brands continue to reduce their footprint in an “extremely competitive” Chinese market that may be becoming more hostile to outside labels amid a surge of nationalism that has boosted demand for domestic labels. Clothing and accessories retailer Gap has been reducing its number of stores in mainland China since opening its 200th in Xian in 2019. As of this month, the figure has fallen to 143, according to its official website. Posts of signs saying “Gap clearance everywhere!!! As... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3190035/chinas-extremely-competitive-clothing-sector-continues-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3190035/chinas-extremely-competitive-clothing-sector-continues-be?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Aug 2022 11:30:21 +0000 A United Nations expert on slavery has found it “reasonable to conclude” that forced labour is taking place in the China’s far-western region of Xinjiang. In a report released on Tuesday, the UN’s special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, said that evidence pointed to forced labour “among Uygur, Kazakh and other ethnic minorities in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing”. While it does not represent an official UN position – rapporteurs are independent... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189273/un-rapporteur-finds-it-reasonable-conclude-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3189273/un-rapporteur-finds-it-reasonable-conclude-forced-labour?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Aug 2022 17:43:18 +0000 Fast-fashion giant H & M Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) has reopened its official store on Alibaba Group Holding’s premium shopping platform Tmall, more than a year after the Swedish firm’s online presence was removed in mainland China amid a backlash for its refusal to use Xinjiang cotton. A search on Tmall, which offers both Chinese and international branded products, on Tuesday showed that H&M merchandise is again available to local consumers, with 14.33 million subscribers signed up online. But a... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3189105/swedish-fast-fashion-giant-hm-returns-alibaba-shopping-platform-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3189105/swedish-fast-fashion-giant-hm-returns-alibaba-shopping-platform-tmall?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Aug 2022 12:00:15 +0000 China’s textile and garment industry recorded a surprising surge in export value last month, despite the sweeping United States ban on products from the region that produces 90 per cent of the nation’s cotton. Monthly exports of textiles and garments beat expectations and increased by 17.5 per cent compared with a year earlier to a record high of US$33.22 billion in July, according to data released by China Customs on Sunday. The value also increased by 5.3 per cent from June, when Washington’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3188421/china-trade-us-xinjiang-ban-looms-large-even-textile?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3188421/china-trade-us-xinjiang-ban-looms-large-even-textile?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Aug 2022 16:00:10 +0000 For garment manufacturers in South and Southeast Asia, a sweeping United States ban on all Xinjiang products – including cotton – may initially seem like a windfall, given its smothering effect on China’s role as the world’s top textile maker. But the reality is far more complicated, as the global textile supply chain is so deeply intertwined that what looks to be a potential boon could instead be a crushing burden. The concern came into the spotlight as the Bangladesh Garment Buying House... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3186664/beyond-china-us-xinjiang-cotton-ban-has-far-reaching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3186664/beyond-china-us-xinjiang-cotton-ban-has-far-reaching?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Jul 2022 22:00:25 +0000 To help stabilise China’s cotton market just weeks after a crippling US ban on Xinjiang products went into effect, Beijing intends buy up to half a million tonnes of Xinjiang cotton for its state reserves – ending a 15-month drought of such purchases. The first of what looks to be multiple rounds of purchases is set to begin on Wednesday, and it comes as Beijing seeks to support China’s cotton industry, which has been increasingly shunned by downstream manufacturers who are wary of running afoul... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3185044/china-buy-xinjiang-cotton-state-stockpiling-wont-save-mills?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3185044/china-buy-xinjiang-cotton-state-stockpiling-wont-save-mills?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2022 15:00:22 +0000