Vice President William Lai on Tuesday called on China to allow international media to go to Xinjiang to report on the situation there. Lai was speaking in light of China’s recent boycott of famous Western clothing brands, such as H&M and Nike, that expressed concern about the use of forced labor on cotton fields in Xinjiang.
The Chinese province of Xinjiang produces 85% of the country’s cotton. However, its Muslim population has for a long time been subject to persecution as part of the Chinese government’s crackdown on separatism in the region. In January, the US issued a ban on all cotton imports from Xinjiang as a protest over the use of forced labor there.
Vice President Lai said that if Beijing feels pressure from the international community, then it should permit entry of international reporters and let the voices of the Xinjiang people be heard. Lai said China has no right to attack individual foreign companies without first clarifying the actual situation in Xinjiang.