China News Service, March 25, issued a statement against several international clothing brands to ban Xinjiang cotton products. The China Cotton Association issued a document on its official website on the 25th. And its related products implement any restrictions, and strongly urge it to stop wrong practices.
Image source: Screenshot of the official website of China Cotton Association
The news pointed out that Xinjiang is China's largest cotton-producing area, with an annual output of about 5 million tons, accounting for more than 80% of domestic cotton production.
More than 50% of farmers in Xinjiang grow cotton, and ethnic minorities account for more than 70%.
Cotton has become the main source of income for local farmers in Xinjiang, especially in hotan, Aksu, Kashgar, Kezhou and other Uyghur areas in southern Xinjiang. The income from cotton planting has accounted for more than 80% of the total agricultural income.
Xinjiang's cotton textile production capacity is about 17 million spindles, and the yarn output is 1.85 million tons, providing local employment for nearly 600,000 people.
According to China Customs statistics, China's overall textile and apparel exports in 2020 will be 296.23 billion U.S. dollars.
With its high-quality products and services, China has become the most trusted sourcing base for global textile and garment importing companies. Chinese-made textiles and garments, including Xinjiang, are welcomed by consumers from all over the world.
China's cotton and textile industries have been safeguarding the rights and interests of employees such as decent work, improving workers' production and living conditions, and improving product quality, with a view to providing stable and efficient supply chain services for global apparel and retail brands.
For a long time, all ordinary practitioners, such as cotton farmers and textile workers from China, have made great contributions to the prosperity and development of the world's cotton textile industry and deserve to be treated fairly.
Crude suppression from Western governments will not only directly harm the most vulnerable groups in the industry chain-millions of cotton farmers and textile workers in Xinjiang, but will also seriously harm the interests of textile and apparel consumers, retailers, distributors and importers in various countries. It will ultimately harm the stable and prosperous development of the world's textile and apparel supply chain and industrial chain.
The China Cotton Association is committed to promoting the sustainable and healthy development of China's cotton industry.
The China Cotton Association will use the "Chinese Cotton" certification mark as a starting point to promote the "environmentally friendly, decent work, high quality, and full traceability" Chinese cotton production model and its finished products, and enhance the image of domestic cotton and Chinese cotton products .
Looking forward to the in-depth cooperation between the upstream and downstream of the cotton textile industry chain in China and the world, jointly creating a sustainable development of China's cotton industry that is responsible for the natural environment, enhances employees' sense of gain, and is trustworthy by consumers.
The China Cotton Association calls on international textile and apparel brands to proceed from the common interests of the industry, respect the Chinese market, respect Chinese consumers, and maintain caution and restraint in response to unprovoked accusations against Xinjiang; all parties in the global cotton textile industry chain are welcome to visit Xinjiang and take the Tripartite due diligence investigations and other means to learn more about the real situation of Xinjiang's cotton industry, jointly promote the transparency of the industrial chain, and enhance understanding and mutual trust. The opening and development of China's cotton textile industry will not end because of the suppression of anti-China and anti-Xinjiang forces. The China Cotton Association mentioned, "We believe that trust and cooperation are the bridges to overcome difficulties together; only through trials can we reap a truly trustworthy partner. Believe in Chinese cotton and support Xinjiang cotton!"