China News Service, Quanzhou, March 25 (Reporter Hong Sun) Following Anta Group’s announcement overnight that it withdrew from the Swiss Better Cotton Development Association (BCI), Seven Degrees of Space (Heng’an), Seven Wolves, Qi Pai, Xtep, Zhongqiao Sports, 361° and many other private enterprises in Quanzhou, Fujian have successively spoken out to support cotton produced in China's cotton-producing areas such as Xinjiang cotton.

　　Quanzhou is a large private economy and textile and footwear manufacturing city in China. It has nine hundred billion industrial clusters including textiles and clothing, footwear, petrochemicals, machinery and equipment, and has nurtured many well-known brands.

　　The reporter learned that Anta became a member of BCI in 2019 and was the first Chinese sporting goods company to join the association.

　　Anta Sports stated that the pure original intention of the cooperation between the brand and BCI is from the perspective of global and regional environmental protection.

They have taken note of the statement issued by BCI recently and are seriously concerned about this matter.

　　According to the announcement issued by Anta, the company is launching relevant procedures to withdraw from BCI.

The announcement emphasized that Anta Sports has been purchasing and using cotton produced in China's cotton producing areas, including Xinjiang cotton, and will continue to purchase and use Chinese cotton in the future.

　　According to data, the Swiss Better Cotton Development Association is a non-profit international membership organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It promotes the so-called "Better Cotton" planting project worldwide. There are currently more than 400 member organizations worldwide.

　　Previously, the organization decided to suspend the issuance of BCI cotton licenses in Xinjiang, and fabricated the so-called "forced labor" to discredit Xinjiang cotton.

This move caused an uproar in China.

　　As of press time, many Quanzhou companies including Hengan, Seven Wolves, Qipai, Xtep, Zhongqiao Sports, and 361° have successively stated that they will continue to use Xinjiang cotton, support Chinese cotton, and demonstrate the attitude of Chinese brands.

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