Fight back! Xinjiang subsidiary is included in the "entity list", Hong Kong Esquel Group sues the US government
[Global Times Special Correspondent Yang Weimin in Hong Kong] Hong Kong companies have fought back against the US smearing Xinjiang cotton!
Hong Kong textile and apparel manufacturer Esquel Group (Esquel) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia regarding the U.S. Department of Commerce’s listing of its subsidiary, Changji Esquel, on the "Entity List". Seek legal help for loss of reputation.
According to a Hong Kong Sing Tao Daily report on the 7th, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the US Department of Commerce put a number of companies on the physical sanctions list last year, claiming that they were suspected of participating in "violating" the human rights of Xinjiang Uyghurs, including Esquel Group.
The group stated that the "entity list" wrongly accused it of using forced labor in Xinjiang, which is completely inconsistent with the facts. Many international independent third-party audit institutions have conducted audits of the group, and the results clearly show that there is no evidence to prove the company In any case, there are acts of forced labor or coercion of employees.
Esquel Group stated that it has responded positively and transparently to relevant allegations since September last year, and submitted a number of commercial documents to the U.S. Department of Commerce's End User Review Committee to prove that the allegations are false, but Washington has not yet made any substantive response. Or provide relevant evidence to support the decision to include the group in the “entity list”.
Therefore, the group resorted to legal channels "with no other choice" to review the administrative procedures and records followed by the U.S. Department of Commerce to make this decision, and to end the reputation and commercial damage caused by the allegations as soon as possible.
Esquel Group is a diversified cotton textile business group founded by Yang Yuanlong in 1978.
The current chairman is Yang Minde, the daughter of Yang Yuanlong, who was also a non-official member of the 2009 Hong Kong Executive Council.
The company's business areas involve cotton planting, spinning, weaving, garment making, export and retail. It is a multinational company whose main products are the production and export of cotton shirts; customers include French crocodile, Marks & Spencer and Tommy Hilfiger and other ready-to-wear brands. The annual supply exceeds 70 million pieces.
Esquel also has self-developed fashion brands, such as "Mianyi Gongfang", "Pai" and "Shiru Shi".
Changji Esquel Textiles, a subsidiary of Esquel Group in Changji City, Xinjiang, was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Commerce in July 2020. Group CEO Che Ketao denied the allegations and said that he would like the accuser to investigate in person and bring the group's innocence back. Some Hong Kong media published articles about the fate of Yang Minde and Xinjiang Cotton. The article said that in addition to innate factors, Xinjiang’s cotton needs "hard work", and "hard work" is related to Yang Minde. In the 1990s, when everyone was not optimistic, Yang Minde, who took over his father's business, went to Xinjiang to grow cotton and set up factories. She invested 50 million US dollars to introduce the best equipment to open a cotton spinning factory, and also manage cotton planting and purchasing. In order to keep improving the quality of long-staple cotton, Yang Minde invited many professionals to guide farmers in growing cotton, and provided free training and zero mortgage loans to cotton farmers throughout the year. "It can be said that Xinjiang cotton meets Yang Minde is a combination of two swords... Xinjiang Mianjia The operational strength of Esquel will ultimately enable China to occupy a seat in the world textile industry."