Reuters reported on May 21 that Japanese apparel maker “Mizuno” and “World Lianhe Fashion” will stop using Xinjiang cotton because of continuing concerns about human rights violations in the region.
It is reported that international apparel manufacturers have been criticized for using cotton from the western region of Xinjiang, and Western countries, including Japan, have accused Chinese authorities of mass detention of Muslim Uighurs and forced labor for local minorities.
A U.S. customs document cited by Reuters on Wednesday showed that Uniqlo, a well-known Japanese clothing manufacturer, has been detained by customs at the U.S. port of Los Angeles since Jan. 5 this year for allegedly violating a ban on the use of cotton from China’s Xinjiang region. Uniqlo’s parent company protested the seizure, but the U.S. side rejected it.
According to U.N. agencies and international human rights organizations, at least 1 million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are being held in forced concentration in Xinjiang. The Chinese government has denied the existence of mass detention facilities in the name of “re-education” and “vocational training” and has used them for counter-terrorism propaganda.
Recent Comments