Chinese netizens recently sniped a number of international brands, denouncing these groups refuse to use Xinjiang cotton.
Swedish clothing brand H & M in 2020 issued a “Xinjiang cotton” statement, Chinese netizens recently rehashed a year ago, criticism, triggering a wave of boycott H & M. Other international brands that once issued a “no Xinjiang cotton”, also by Chinese netizens “bottom”. We checked the information and found that the first to launch the offensive is actually the Communist Youth League. Scholars analyze that the Chinese Communist Party is likely to launch a propaganda war to strengthen the “War Wolf diplomacy” in light of the tension between China and the United States and the European Union. (By Chen Junhao/Lu Xi)
China Central Television (CCTV) hosts said: While trying to make money in the Chinese market, the company is attacking China with outright lies, which may fit the company’s brand acronym “absurd”.
CCTV “shelling” H & M, with this attack by Chinese netizens, H & M statement on Xinjiang cotton. The statement was probably about the group’s deep concern about citizen groups and the media, allegations of forced labor and discrimination against ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, stressing that “we will not work with any garment manufacturers located in Xinjiang” and that the group will not purchase local products and raw materials. It is worth noting that the statement was released on March 20, 2020.
Communist Youth League first to reopen old accounts to start a wave of boycott H&M
The statement was released more than a year ago, the official media of the Communist Party of China suddenly reopened the old account on March 24, 2021. We checked the information, the first to start the H&M offensive is China’s “Communist Youth League Central Committee” official Sina microblogging.
“At 10:48 a.m. on March 24, 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League sent out its first Weibo post, uploading a screenshot of H&M’s statement, which read, “Boycotting Xinjiang cotton while trying to make money in China? You’re delusional!” with the hashtag “#HMBangingXinjiangCotton”. However, the post does not account for the release Time of H&M’s statement.
An hour later, the “Central Committee of the Communist Youth League” posted again with a picture saying that H&M “crossed the line”. 11 minutes later, it posted “Xinjiang cotton does not eat this” with a picture in white letters on a red background. The picture was widely circulated on the Chinese internet. The picture was widely circulated on the Chinese Internet, and it was similar to the remark made by Yang Jiechi, director of the Office of Foreign Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, during the meeting between the U.S. and China in Alaska, that “Chinese people don’t eat this”, with a sarcastic tone.
“The Communist Youth League Central Committee started the fire, followed by CCTV, People’s Daily, Global Times and other Chinese official media, which launched a full-scale attack on H&M.
CCTV, the official media of the Communist Party of China, commented that H&M’s “non-cooperation with Xinjiang factories and boycott of Xinjiang products” were “unfounded and ulterior accusations, full of prejudice and revealing ignorance” and “eating Chinese rice and smashing China’s pot”
As for the Chinese online shopping platform Taobao, Jingdong, Jindo, currently can not search for H&M products, H&M’s vertical trail, “Baidu Maps” also no longer show, H&M since the beginning of the “China map” disappeared.
H&M (China) issued a statement on its official microblog on Wednesday (24) to ensure that “suppliers worldwide comply with sustainability commitments such as the ‘OECD Code of Responsible Business Conduct’.”
“Anti-foreign goods” burn other brands
The “anti-foreign goods wave” started by Chinese netizens is getting more and more intense, not only the well-known clothing brand H&M, but also other clothing brands such as Zara, Gap, Uniqlo, Tommy Hilfiger, and other sports brands Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Fila, puma, Converse, etc. puma, CONVERSE, etc., one by one by Chinese netizens, accused these companies of “not using Xinjiang cotton”, most of these brands respond to the Swiss “Good Cotton Development Association” (Better Cotton Most of these brands respond to the Swiss “Good Cotton Initiative” (BCI) charter. The BCI earlier suspended the issuance of “cotton licenses” in Xinjiang due to humanitarian issues in the region.
Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, criticized in an article on Thursday (25) that Nike “paid the price of its belated reputation in the Chinese market” and “made those public opinions more original to reflect the attitude of the people”, making “Western companies, and the Western world as a whole, have become more aware of the positions and sentiments of Chinese folk”.
The netizens sniping foreign brands storm fermented, Chinese artists Huang Xuan and Song Xi announced on Wednesday (24th) that they had terminated their cooperation with H&M. In addition, Emperor Entertainment’s artist Timothy Chan announced on Weibo that he had terminated his cooperation with Tommy Hilfiger, which had been sniped at, and Converse’s Asia Pacific spokesperson, Taiwanese artist Ouyang Nana, and artist Guli Naza from Xinjiang, issued separate statements in support of the “Xinjiang cotton”.
Chinese official media “People’s Daily” reported that the annual output of Xinjiang cotton 5.2 million tons, accounting for about 87% of China’s domestic production, while accounting for about 67% of domestic consumption ratio.
Scholars: the Chinese Communist Party through the Xinjiang cotton set off a propaganda war in response to foreign
The U.S. Tulane University Department of Political Science Ph.D. student Pulin, who served in Taiwan‘s National Defense and Security Research Institute, analyzed the boycott of international brands such as H&M and Nike by Chinese official media and foreign propaganda agencies, and the recent U.S.-China meeting with their own expressions, did not reach a clear consensus, as well as the European Union is dissatisfied with China’s anti-sanctions, braking the “Europe-China Investment Agreement” review will be related. The adoption of the Xinjiang cotton and Uyghur human rights issue has become an entry point for China to strengthen its “war wolf diplomacy.
Pulin said: On this issue, we can see that the recent tensions in the interests of U.S.-China relations, and then after the talks in Alaska, you can see that China’s so-called war wolf diplomacy, whether in the face of the U.S. or the EU position is increasingly tough, the same time China’s other propaganda agencies, or the Communist Youth League system, these agencies will be in their own voice channels, on this issue to do propaganda or The situation is that they will find some actionable issues, and Xinjiang cotton is the perfect topic for them to operate on. China wants to shout that the EU does not have the right to intervene in China’s internal affairs or human rights issues, such as the issue of Xinjiang.
If the situation is tense, the Chinese Communist Party may force companies to buy cotton from Xinjiang
Pulin believes that China’s foreign propaganda agencies have a “red line” on relevant political issues, and that these agencies cannot go against the central government’s tone, whether or not the outside world can see evidence of direct action by the central government, the Chinese Communist Party may also be “behind the scenes” to instigate.
Pulin said: We can feel the different units and systems of the Chinese Communist Party, it is clear that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the international issues of China’s caliber and position, they must find their own topics to play and make manipulation, H & M and Nike brands, the boycott of Xinjiang cotton has become a battlefield where they can manipulate public opinion. In addition to the diplomatic system, other systems of the Chinese Communist Party, such as the Communist Youth League, or CCTV, they must find the battlefield of public opinion to play.
If China and the West again in a stalemate, Pulin believes that the Communist Party may be administrative means and regulations, directly forcing companies to purchase cotton in Xinjiang, the continuation of the “war wolf diplomacy.
Pulin said: this will be related to the next how the Chinese Communist Party in response to the United States and Europe’s pressure, (Xinjiang cotton issue) this thing will become very sensitive, the Chinese Communist Party also knows that if forced companies to purchase Xinjiang cotton, it will lead to more intense conflict sequelae. This time by the Chinese Communist Party named are big international brands, in China have a certain market share and market, to China at present, if you want to continue to operate nationalism or war wolf diplomacy, indeed have the opportunity to force companies to purchase Xinjiang cotton, which is the Chinese Communist Party can operate the bargaining chip and leverage.
The Communist Youth League has participated in boycotts in the past, including a boycott of Lotte in 2017 because the South Korean Lotte Group transferred land to the U.S. military to deploy the “SAD missile defense system,” the Communist Youth League launched a boycott of Lotte; in 2019, Apple’s website listed Taiwan as a country, the Communist Youth League also threatened to boycott Apple. According to Pulin, most of these actions are operated by the Communist Youth League and the party media system.
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