Monday, December 27, 2021
No more products from Xinjiang
Walmart becomes a target of anger in China
Just recently, US President Biden signed a law banning the import of numerous products from the geopolitical hotspot of Xinjiang. When Chinese Walmart customers notice that the US company no longer sells products from there, displeasure grows on social media.
The world’s largest retailer, Walmart, caused displeasure on Chinese social media over the weekend after Internet users warned that the US group no longer had products from the Xinjiang region in stock in its Chinese Walmart and Sam’s Club branches. Some said they had terminated their Sam’s Club membership, and social media accounts associated with the Communist Party criticized the company. Sam’s Club is Walmart’s wholesale chain, open to members only.
Northwest China’s Xinjiang region, home to predominantly Muslim minorities, has become a geopolitical hotspot – and an ethical dilemma for US multinational corporations doing business in China.
The US government has accused China of genocide against religious minorities in the region, and US President Joe Biden signed a law last week banning the import of numerous products from Xinjiang – unless companies can show that they are Products were not made using forced labor, which is considered difficult. China has denied allegations of genocide and forced labor, stating that its policies in the region are aimed at combating terrorism and protecting national security.
Other western companies such as fast fashion retailer H&M and sporting goods manufacturer Nike have also been the target of the ire of Chinese consumers recently. H & M’s online presence was deleted from the Chinese Internet this spring after the Swedish company announced that it would no longer source goods from Xinjiang. Last Thursday, Intel apologized to Chinese consumers, partners and the public after an outcry against the company on Chinese social media.
Pictures of contract cancellations on social media
The US chip giant had published a letter to suppliers on its website, in which it asked them, with reference to a US law, not to purchase any goods from Xinjiang. For its part, Walmart was drawn into the controversy on Friday after users wrote on domestic social media platforms that they could not find products typically from Xinjiang in the online stores operated by Walmart and Sam’s Club China.
A user of the microblogging service Weibo accused Walmart of “eating China’s rice and still slapping us in the face.” Others said they would be terminating their Sam’s Club membership and shared photos of their conversations with customer service agents showing them canceling their contracts. Others wrote that they were boycotting Walmart stores. Some users reported that online customer service had told them that the products in question were out of stock. A Walmart spokesman declined to comment.