Possible ban on Xinjiang cotton ‘coercion’
US politicians fail to hear true voices of region’s textile workers
In an another attempt to taint China’s Xinjiang policies, the US government is reportedly mulling a ban on cotton products made in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over the socalled abuse of human rights. However, reality tells a different story and Western politicians have failed to listen to the true voices of residents in Xinjiang.
The Trump administration is considering a ban on some or all products made with cotton from the region, media reported. The move came as Washington has repeatedly made accusations of “forced labor” in the region. However, such accusations were again refuted by local cotton factories, workers and Chinese experts, who all see these claims as illintentioned moves to smear China’s efforts in creating jobs and helping end poverty.
Yuli county, under the administration of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, is dedicated to cotton growing, and it has many related factories. Local farmers and workers have enjoyed an improving livelihood thanks to the thriving cotton industry, contradicting the “forced labor” narratives hyped by some Western politicians.
Rustam Niyaz, a Uygur man who has worked at a textile factory for three years, told the Global Times on Wednesday that he took the job because of the high wages. “Now I can earn 4,000 yuan ($584) per month, and I’m very happy about that,” he said. He is in charge of production safety and maintenance at the factory.
The monthly salary of 4,000 yuan is above the average for the county, the Global Times learned.
“Working for a better life,” was one of the most commonly heard phrases when Global Times reporters talked with local employees in the cotton and textile industry.
A senior manager surnamed Zhou at a local textile factory in Yuli told the Global Times that there are more than 300 employees at the factory, 90 percent of whom are Uygur residents.
US potential ban on the imports of cotton products from Xinjiang is nothing but a malicious move by the Trump administration to smear and suppress China, experts noted. The ban, under the guise of penalties for alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang, disregards local people’s demands and rights to seek livelihood improvements. It is a genuine infringement of local people’s human rights, experts said.
“The Trump administration wants to cater to conservative voters, shaping its image as a ‘human rights defender,’” Zhang Tengjun, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
Statistics show that 24 percent of US cotton product imports are from China in 2019 while in 2018， about 18 percent of Chinese textile and clothes exports are to the US. Xinjiang’s cotton production and spinning industry account for 85 and 13 percent of China’s total, respectively.
“For the US, the ban is considered as a powerful tool, because it can force garment and clothing companies to shift their orders from China,” Zhang said.
Industry insiders suggest Chinese companies in the cotton industry pay more attention on developing the domestic market and try to expand exports to other markets such as Central Asian countries.