Groundless claims on Xinjiang cotton ‘malicious attempt’

Some US organizations’ call for the UK government to halt cotton imports from Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region over fabricated rumor of forced labor is “despicable”, showing that some US politicians have conspired to meddle in China’s internal affairs and try to slander China, industry observers say.

The malice won’t be supported by the international community, as rational UK officials and businessmen are able to draw a line between malicious political motivation and normal business activity. Cotton grown in Xinjiang plays a vital role in the global supply chain and it is extremely difficult for companies to find any replacement.

In a letter to the UK government on Thursday, the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) and the Global Legal Action Network called on the UK government to halt imports of cotton grown in Xinjiang, claiming that there was overwhelming evidence that Uyghur people were forced to work in cotton downstream and upstream industries in Xinjiang. Chinese observers have dismissed the allegations, saying that the letter is full of lies and distortions.

“It is totally groundless. Uyghur workers come voluntarily to work at our factory. We pay social insurance for them and they take one day off per week. They’re treated the same as employees from other ethnic groups,” a manager of a Xinjiang-based large textile company surnamed Zhang told the Global Times.

According to Zhang, 99 percent of the company’s employees are Uyghurs, with an average monthly income of 2,000 yuan ($284.6) to 3,000 yuan. These wages have helped lift dozens of Uyghur workers out of poverty.

The slander against Xinjiang has ignited a tsunami of anger among local workers and businessmen, Zhang said. Because of this bad-mouthing, local textile companies have lost most or all of their export orders, which results in job cuts and affects the livelihood of the Uyghur people.