As accusations that the Chinese government has been inducing the Uyghur minority group into forced labor and other forms of human rights violation gains media attention, activists are now pressuring global companies to reassess their supply chain.
Uyghurs are a Muslim minority in Northwestern China, a province that the Chinese Communist Party named Xinjiang. While the various human rights violations in the region have not been a secret over the years, it is receiving increased interest amidst a trade conflict between the China and US.
American officials have began to cite ties with the forced Uyghur workers to sanction Chinese firms and individuals. Just last week, the US government disclosed 11 Chinese companies that are allegedly connected with forced labor and banned them from trading with the US.
The civil society soon jumped in. From HBO’s TV host John Oliver dedicating an episode on the issue to a joint call from some 180 organizations that asked clothing companies to cut ties with forced labor in China, the reaction has been swift and determined.
The exact scale and extent of what observers perceive as the Chinese government’s ethnic cleansing is unclear. However, government agencies estimate that up to 2 million Muslim minorities may have been imprisoned since 2015.
In their defense, the Chinese government has consistently argued that what looks like a harsh treatment from the outside is in fact an extremely effective preventive measure. They also vehemently deny the presence of detention centers, claiming that those are merely vocational training facilities.
Thus it is no surprise that the Chinese government strongly condemned the US officials over the sanction on Chinese firms. A Chinese spokesperson argued that the restriction went against the established rules of international commerce and norms.
Different firms have been reacting in different manners over the alleged use of forced labor. According to CNN, PVH – owner of Calvin Klein in the US – said it is working on eliminating cotton imports from factories in Xinjiang as per its long-term plans.
Others such as Nike have outright denied that they were related with the forced labor camps in Xinjiang. While Nike did admit that one of its suppliers hired workers from Xinjiang, they corrected the course immediately after getting hold of the news.
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Replaced!