China Cotton Association: Strongly Condemns The US Government For Suppressing China'S Cotton Textile Industry In The Name Of Human Rights

Statement on strongly condemning the US government for suppressing China's cotton textile industry in the name of human rights

On December 23, the U.S. government signed the "Uyghur forced labor Prevention Act" into law. The bill, based on the so-called "forced labor", requires the United States to prohibit the import of all products from Xinjiang, China, and gross interference in China's internal affairs, which will continue to have a bad impact on China's cotton textile industry. China Cotton Association strongly condemns and firmly opposes this.

Since 2020, the U.S. government has restricted the import of cotton related products from Xinjiang by issuing Xinjiang related supply chain report, listing in entity list, issuing import ban and other means, which caused huge economic losses and extremely bad impact on related enterprises, and seriously damaged the reputation of Xinjiang and even China's cotton textile industry.

Xinjiang, as the dominant cotton production area in China, has a cotton yield of about 5 million tons all year round. Affected by the rising labor cost, the scale and mechanization of cotton production in Xinjiang has made rapid progress in recent years. Precision sowing, drip irrigation under film, UAV spraying, cotton picker harvesting, and mechanized and intelligent operation in the whole process have greatly reduced the labor intensity of cotton farmers and improved the efficiency of agricultural production. In 2021, the cotton machine recovery rate in Xinjiang is as high as 87.9%. It is estimated that the average net income of cotton farmers will exceed 1500 yuan / mu, which will become the main source of income increase for local farmers in Xinjiang, especially in Hotan, Aksu, Kashgar, Kezhou and other Uygur inhabited areas in southern Xinjiang. Xinjiang's cotton textile production capacity is about 20.38 million spindles, and the yarn output is 1.95 million tons, which solves about 600000 local employment.

As the world's second largest cotton producer, the largest cotton importer and textile producer, China's cotton textile industry has made great progress since China's accession to the WTO. From cotton fields to clothing, through participating in the global division of labor and cooperation, China has provided rich clothing choices from good quality and low price to high-end fashion for the people of the world, and has become an important link in the global textile industry chain. China's cotton and textile industry has been committed to protecting the rights and interests of workers, constantly improving production and living conditions, improving product quality, and providing stable and reliable supply chain services for global clothing and retail brands, which should be treated fairly. Just like all ordinary Chinese workers, cotton farmers and textile workers from China have, over the years, raised their family income and living standards through hard work. This is an undeniable fact and the biggest human rights truth of China's cotton and textile industry.

For political purposes, the U.S. government has continuously issued administrative orders and bills against Xinjiang cotton in the name of "forced labor", which seriously disrupts the cotton textile production and trade order in China and even the world, and completely ignores its gross interference, which will affect the legitimate rights and interests of relevant enterprises and employees in the world, including China. China's cotton and textile industry will continue to adhere to opening up and cooperation with the outside world. External pressure and stigmatization cannot and will not hinder the high-quality and sustainable development of China's cotton and textile industry in the future.

China Cotton Association

December 25, 2021