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Nike's statement on Xinjiang raises ire of Chinese

This article is more than 12 months old

BEIJING : Anger with Nike erupted on Chinese social media late on Wednesday after China's netizens spotted a statement from the sporting goods giant saying it was "concerned" about reports of forced labour in Xinjiang and that it does not use cotton from the region.

Topics around the Nike statement were among the highest trending on China's Twitter-like social media Weibo yesterday, and the social media backlash had a wider fallout.

Chinese TV stars Wang Yibo and Tan Songyun said they would end all promotional partnerships with Nike.

It was unclear when Nike had put out the statement, which did not have a date on it. Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We are concerned about reports of forced labour in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)," Nike said in the statement.

"Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region."

Yesterday, celebrities, tech brands and state media also piled in on several other global fashion brands, such as Adidas.

"Chinese people will not allow some foreigners to eat China's rice while smashing its bowls," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told reporters at a regular briefing in Beijing.

"The Chinese market is here... we open our hearts to welcome foreign companies. But we oppose malicious attacks on China based on rumours and lies, and harm to China's interests." - REUTERS, AFP

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