In an increasing diplomatic spat, China on Friday sanctioned four organizations and nine individuals in the United Kingdom over Xinjiang, days after Britain imposed sanctions for alleged human rights abuses in the western Chinese province.
A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the move by the Western bloc was based on “nothing but lies and disinformation, and grossly interferes in China´s internal affairs, and severely undermines China-U.K. relations.” Britain´s ambassador to China has been summoned for a diplomatic protest, the statement said. The step was anticipated after China put retaliatory sanctions on European lawmakers, scholars and institutions on Monday as the 27 nation European Union, the US, Britain and Canada on Monday imposed sanctions on Chinese officials accusing them of human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
China denied allegations of human rights abuses by its officials in the western region of Xinjiang, one of the major flashpoints between the western Countries and China.
In other seemingly retaliatory measure, retail giants such as H&M, Adidas, Nike, Gap and luxury brand Burberry are facing a massive backlash in Chinese social media as well as state media for statements made last year expressing concern on the use of forced labour to pick cotton in the northwestern Xinjiang province, China’s biggest cotton-producing region.
Swedish brand H&M was the first to be singled out and was called for boycott. It was unclear why the H&M statement was back in the public eye. A social media trend ignited by a government call to stop foreign brands from smearing China prompted internet users to go behind foreign retailers. While many called for boycotts, Chinese celebrities cut ties, and e-commerce platforms and Baidu maps have dropped the retailers.
Internet users also targeted the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a global group that promotes sustainable cotton production which said in October it was suspending its approval of cotton sourced from Xinjiang for the 2020-2021 season, citing concerns over human rights. BCI members include Nike, Adidas, H&M and Burberry.
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