Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- China does not accept lies and attacks from companies that make money in the PRC market. Thus, at a briefing on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying commented on the situation with the Swedish clothing retailer H&M, which refused to use cotton from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) due to alleged human rights violations in the region. Xinhua News Agency reports.

“One thing is clear. The Chinese people do not accept that some companies try to harm the PRC while making money here,” she said. “We reject the use of lies and rumors to attack the PRC and harm its interests,” the diplomat added.

As Hua Chunying pointed out, "Xinjiang’s cotton is one of the finest in the world." "The allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang are lies fabricated by anti-Chinese forces to blacken China, undermine the security and stability of Xinjiang, and curb China’s development," she concluded.

H&M previously said the chain was "deeply concerned about reports from civil society organizations and media outlets that mention allegations of forced labor and ethnic and religious discrimination in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region." According to the document, the company makes sure that its suppliers do not violate human rights, and has assured customers that it will not use cotton from Xinjiang.

In December 2020, the United States authorities imposed a ban on the import of cotton and cotton products from the XUAR in northwest China in connection with alleged human rights violations there. As stated in the message of the US Customs and Border Protection, the decision was made "on the basis of information that indicates cases of forced labor, among others, prisoners."

China produces about 20% of the world’s cotton, most of which comes from Xinjiang.