Working in a cotton discipline in Changji Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 11, 2024. /CFP
The cotton affiliation of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region issued a press release on Thursday, calling on the worldwide group to deal with Xinjiang cotton with rationality and objectivity, expressing hope that Japanese model Uniqlo would restore its use of Xinjiang cotton, following latest remarks by the corporate’s founder, Tadashi Yanai.
In a latest interview with the BBC, Yanai claimed that Uniqlo not sources cotton from Xinjiang. In its response, the Xinjiang cotton affiliation highlighted that cotton from the area is among the many greatest on this planet.
The affiliation emphasised the area’s vital contribution to the worldwide textile business, offering high-quality cotton that not solely meets home and worldwide demand but in addition helps native financial development. The affiliation mentioned Xinjiang’s cotton business has created job alternatives for a lot of residents, lifting quite a few households out of poverty, and with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Xinjiang cotton has turn out to be a key commodity connecting international markets, prized for its superior high quality.
The affiliation criticized the U.S. for politicizing human rights points to unjustly goal Xinjiang cotton. It accused the U.S. of spreading baseless allegations concerning “forced labor” and different accusations in an try and undermine the livelihoods of Xinjiang’s staff. The assertion argued that such actions deprive the area’s individuals of their proper to enhance their lives via authentic employment.
Further emphasizing the area’s growth, the affiliation famous that the Xinjiang cotton business has made vital strides in mechanization, sustainability and innovation. The business now boasts a 100% mechanization price for cotton planting, and the mechanized harvesting price has reached roughly 90 %. These developments have made cotton manufacturing a vital pillar of the native financial system, contributing to the growing prosperity of the area’s individuals, the affiliation mentioned.
“We urge the international community and textile companies to approach anti-Xinjiang rhetoric with careful and rational analysis, based on objective facts. We hope that global brands like Uniqlo will respect and trust Xinjiang cotton, resuming its use to support the healthy and stable development of the global cotton and textile industry,” the assertion learn.
At a Foreign Ministry press convention on Thursday, spokesperson Lin Jian reiterated that there isn’t a “forced labor” in Xinjiang and reaffirmed China’s sturdy stance in opposition to such practices, which it has actively labored to get rid of. Lin known as on the worldwide group to chorus from spreading misinformation and invited international guests to expertise the realities of Xinjiang firsthand.
Source: CGTN