Sinister intentions behind Xinjiang cotton boycott

Recent claims made by enterprises like H&M and Nike of refusing to use Xinjiang cotton have triggered widespread denunciation and resistance from the Chinese public.

Behind the so-called Xinjiang cotton boycott are the sinister intentions of anti-China forces in some Western countries including the United States to smear China and suppress Chinese industry. The Chinese government and people firmly oppose it.

Cotton production in Xinjiang has long been highly mechanized and does not require a large number of cotton pickers.

The accusation of "forced labor" in Xinjiang's cotton industry is an utter lie.

The ultimate intention of using such phrases as "forced labor," "concentration camps" and "genocide" is to undermine Xinjiang's security and stability and stifle China's development.

Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to former US Secretary of State Colin Powell, has once said that if the Central Intelligence Agency wanted to destabilize China, the best way to do so was to cause social unrest and push China from the inside.

Focusing on Xinjiang cotton has economic motives as well. Bizarre claims of "forced labor" and "human rights abuses" are mere allegations used to suppress China's textile industry.

China is the world's second largest cotton producer, and Xinjiang is the most important cotton producing region, accounting for nearly 90 percent of the country's cotton output.

Steady increases in China's cotton production and the growing textile industry are making some in the United States and the West nervous.

As the world's largest cotton exporter, the United States hyped up the Xinjiang issue as early as last February during the Trump administration and has issued a ban on cotton products from Xinjiang. Under the pretext of protecting human rights, the United States is attempting to bolster production at home.

"Countless lies are being spread by people who have never been to Xinjiang," said French journalist Maxime Vivas, who recently published a book about his two trips to the autonomous region in northwest China.

The US government's "genocide" accusation against China was based on data abuse and false claims of a right-wing religious extremist, according to a report published last month by the independent news website Grayzone.

During the just-ended 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Cuba delivered a joint statement on behalf of 64 countries urging relevant countries to stop interfering in China's internal affairs by manipulating Xinjiang related issues, refrain from making unfounded allegations against China out of political motivations and curbing the development of developing countries under the pretext of human rights.

China is focused on fighting terrorism and separatism in Xinjiang. It is preserving human rights in the region, not abusing them.

Western countries must quit fabricating narratives about Xinjiang and abandon attempts to undermine China's stability and development.

Foreign enterprises operating in China should respect market rules and avoid politicizing commercial issues.

China welcomes foreign companies and personnel to operate and grow in the country. But it resolutely opposes malicious attacks based on rumors and lies that harm China's interests.