The Chinese government has made major accusations against the apparel giants. Announcing the list of 16 companies that produce products in more than one category, the government defined the companies in question as “unqualified in terms of quality and safety”. While China has removed H&M products from its e-commerce platforms, app stores have also removed apps from brands such as H&M, Nike and Adidas.
Western brands have become targets
The international retail giant H&M announced last year that it will no longer use cotton from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region due to the treatment of Uyghur Turks. In response, Chinese state television called for a boycott and criticized other brands that expressed their concerns about forced labor. Western brands have become the target of Chinese state media after the Beijing government was accused by Western governments and human rights groups of forcing people to work in camps in China’s Xinjiang region.