"Behind The Scenes" Of Resistance To Xinjiang Cotton: Maliciously Slander For The Promotion Of Their Own Cotton?

Some foreign brands are rumor boycotting Xinjiang cotton while thinking about making money in China? There are companies that can do such a terrible thing.

Recently, H & M group (Haines Morris clothing) has attracted attention in a statement on its official website. The foreign fast consumer brand learned from the poor performance of some western media and politicians, and claimed that it would "boycott Xinjiang cotton and textile factories" under the pretext of rumors of "forced labor".

Some consumers see the "BCI" label as shown in the figure below in the label of H & M brand clothing purchased by themselves. What is the "BCI plan" mentioned in the statement on H & M's official website?

BCI is the Swiss good cotton Development Association, English name is better cotton initiative, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is a non-profit international member organization.

BCI has worked with a wide range of stakeholders to promote better cotton cultivation worldwide and promote the circulation of good cotton throughout the supply chain, according to BCI's cotton production principles.

BCI's ultimate goal is to transform the mode of cotton production worldwide by developing good cotton projects, and make good cotton a mainstream commodity.

BCI said that in order to meet the requirements of good cotton production, the organization proposed "seven production principles":

To minimize harmful effects on crop protection measures, to use water efficiently and protect water resources, to attach importance to soil health, to protect natural habitats, to care and protect fiber quality, to promote decent work, and to run effective management systems.

In accordance with the principle of "promoting decent work", the BCI international official website announced on October 21, 2020 that BCI would stop all on-site activities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China.

The notice states that any form of forced labor in the "better cotton" production area is unacceptable, and if found, it will be deemed as a violation of BCI standards, and the production license can be cancelled or deprived immediately.

With regard to the continuing allegations of forced labor and other human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, and the increased risk of forced labor at the farm level, resulting in an unsustainable business environment, BCI decided to immediately stop all field activities in the region, including capacity-building and data monitoring and reporting. In March 2020, BCI suspended licensing and guarantee activities in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, so there is no new licensed "better button" in the region.

According to the webpage, the statement was re edited in March 2021.

It is worth noting that a wechat public account named "BCI good cotton" and certified as "Shanghai Representative Office of Swiss good cotton Development Association" issued a "important statement on Xinjiang issue" on March 1, 2021.

The statement said: Recently, BCI Shanghai Representative Office has received the inquiry letter from some previous Xinjiang implementation partners, and hereby solemnly states that BCI China project team has strictly followed BCI's auditing principles, and has carried out the second-party credibility audit and third-party verification for Xinjiang project sites since 2012, and has never found any case of forced labor.

BCI Shanghai Representative Office will continue to maintain communication with Xinjiang implementation partners to jointly maintain the sustainable development of the supply chain.

The so-called "forced labor" and "discrimination against ethnic minorities" and other lies have been repeatedly clarified by the Ministry of foreign affairs. In fact, this is not the first time that western countries have maliciously slandered China on the grounds of forced labor in Xinjiang.

In December 2020, the United States announced the prohibition of cotton products from Xinjiang by means of "forced labor", and restricted and suppressed Xinjiang enterprises by means of pressure and sanctions.

German scholar Zheng Guoen also said in his report "brainwashing and heart washing: evidence from Chinese government documents on the nature and scope of extrajudicial detention in Xinjiang" that "I believe that since the spring of 2017, 900000 to 1800000 people have been systematically detained in Xinjiang."

Earlier, the BBC report also quoted Zheng Guoen's so-called "research" that "new evidence shows that more than 500000 minority workers are dispatched to participate in seasonal cotton picking every year, and their working environment may be highly mandatory."

According to the BBC report, in 2018, Aksu and Hotan "sent 210000 workers through labor transfer" to pick cotton for the "Chinese paramilitary organization" Xinjiang production and Construction Corps. "There are many signs that such participation is not entirely voluntary.".

On March 18, 2021, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that the so-called "forced labor" and "compulsory sterilization" and other "human rights violations" in Xinjiang are individual and have ulterior motives. The so-called scholars and institutions deliberately fabricate and spread big lies and violate the conscience of justice. The Chinese people are strongly indignant. In his book the end of Uighur false news, the French writer Vivas also explicitly exposed the conspiracy of these people who had never been to Xinjiang to make false news. It is suggested that people concerned should read this book carefully and understand what the facts are.