Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

H&M and Nike are facing a boycott in China

H&M and Nike are facing a boycott in China

H&M, Nike and other big Western apparel brands are facing a boycott in China because of the stand they've taken against the alleged use of forced labor to produce cotton in the country's western region of Xinjiang.

H&M and Nike said months ago that they were concerned about allegations that forced labor has been used to produce cotton in Xinjiang, but they've now been caught in an escalating firestorm that has erupted on Chinese social media over the past day.

Swedish multinational H&M, the world's second-largest clothing retailer, has been pulled from major e-commerce stores in China, and a prominent celebrity has cut ties with the brand. Nike (NKE) and Adidas, among other brands, have also faced heavy criticism.

The outrage comes after a group linked to the ruling Communist Party posted a statement from H&M about Xinjiang on the Chinese social media site Weibo. In the statement, which was released in September, H&M said that it was "deeply concerned" over reports of forced labor in the production of cotton in Xinjiang.

Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Beijing of detaining Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the region in "re-education" camps and using them as forced labor, which they claim is part of global tech and retail supply chains, either directly or indirectly.

Recent sanctions from the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union over Xinjiang have sparked a renewed pushback from the Chinese government, which calls the camps "vocational training centers" designed to combat poverty and religious extremism.

In the viral social media post about H&M, China's Communist Youth League denounced the company's stance.

"Spreading rumors to boycott Xinjiang cotton, while trying to make a profit in China? Wishful thinking!" the post said.

The comments sparked a flood of criticism directed at H&M from Chinese social media users, including a viral hashtag which was read more than 1 billion times: "I support Xinjiang cotton."

"H&M clothes are rags," one of the most-liked Weibo comments said. "They don't deserve our Xinjiang cotton!"

Chinese e-commerce giants Alibaba (BABA) and JD.com (JD) even removed all H&M products from sale following the backlash.

China's Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily voiced its outrage at H&M, saying on its official Weibo account that "China's Xinjiang cotton is white and flawless." State broadcaster CCTV accused foreign brands of "earning big profits in China but attacking the country with lies at the same time."

Actor Huang Xuan, who had been a brand ambassador for H&M since last April, publicly said he would no longer work with the company.

In a statement posted Wednesday night on Weibo, H&M said that it has always maintained high standards, as well as transparency, in its global supply chain.

"[This] does not represent any political position ... H&M Group always respects Chinese consumers. We are committed to long-term investment and development in China," the statement said. The company added it was working with "more than 350 manufacturers" in China. H&M declined a request from CNN Business for additional comment.

Within hours, the criticism directed at H&M had spread to Nike. The company had said nearly a year ago that it was "concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, Xinjiang."

"Nike does not source products from [Xinjiang] and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region," the statement said.

Soon after the Nike statement appeared on Weibo, Chinese singer and actor Wang Yibo said that he had cut ties with Nike and "firmly opposes any remarks and actions that smear China." Nike did not immediately respond to a request from CNN Business for comment.

Over the past year, a number of Western companies have publicly announced they will examine their global supply chains to ensure they are free from Xinjiang cotton products after allegations of forced labor involving the region's Muslim Uyghur people.

In December, the US government announced it would block all imports of cotton from Xinjiang over concerns they "may have been made by slave labor in some of the most egregious human rights violations existing today."

Concerns about Xinjiang have also exacerbated tensions between China and many major Western powers. In the past week, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union have all put in place new sanctions on officials in Xinjiang over their role in alleged human rights abuses there. Bejing responded with its own sanctions on EU politicians and entities, saying they were "maliciously spreading lies."

Meanwhile, as the social media backlash now spreads to other major Western brands, some companies in China have begun to prominently advertise their use of cotton made in Xinjiang. Chinese brand Anta Sports said in a statement that it would continue to use cotton from Xinjiang, while Japanese retailer Muji began to advertise products made with "Xinjiang cotton."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
×