A Chinese industry association has voiced strong opposition to the United States’ decision to add 43 Chinese companies, including cotton textile firms, to the so-called “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List,” saying the move seriously violates the basic rules of international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The China Cotton Association (CCA) said in a statement released on Saturday that the U.S. allegations of “forced labor” lack factual and legal basis, noting that China’s cotton industry has consistently followed a market-oriented and modern development path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In Xinjiang, a major cotton-producing region in China, more than 90 percent of cotton harvesting is now carried out by machines, with highly automated and large-scale operations covering the entire industrial chain from planting and harvesting to processing and textile production, the association said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The labor rights and interests of cotton farmers and industry workers are strictly protected by Chinese laws, and their employment choices are completely voluntary, it said. “There is no so-called ‘forced labor.'”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. move disregards facts and imposes a “presumption of guilt” on Chinese companies, the association said, adding that the true intent behind such a move is to politicize and weaponize human rights issues in an attempt to contain the development of China’s cotton and textile industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sanctions will also undermine the stability of global cotton industrial and supply chains and infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies, according to the CCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China’s cotton industry is confident in and capable of overcoming challenges posed by external pressure, it said, noting that China has the world’s most complete cotton and textile industrial chains, a vast domestic consumer market and an increasingly diversified international market layout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The association said it will continue to support and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese cotton and textile enterprises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n