Following the clothing chain H & M's statements on working conditions regarding cotton picking in the Chinese region of Xinjang, several Chinese property owners are now choosing to close H & M's stores in parts of the country, and their online store is also affected.
A boycott that Björn Jerdén, head of the national knowledge center on China at the Foreign Policy Institute, believes has no popular support.
- The Communist Party controls the picture of what is happening in Xinjang.
If the regime wanted to end the boycott, it would ebb immediately, he says.
What this means for companies in China and how hard it can be depends on which path the regime chooses.
- We will see, if they continue with a high pressure, it can be a hard blow against H&M and other companies, he says.
Became a victim of Chinese sanctions himself
Earlier in March, Björn Jerdén himself was subjected to Chinese sanctions.
Jerdén was one of ten Europeans who ended up on China's sanctions list in response to EU sanctions against eleven Chinese who are believed to have committed human rights abuses, including Uighurs in Xinjiang.
- I was a little surprised, at the same time as I can see that this is part of a larger pattern where China's leadership is trying to put pressure on researchers and the media around the world.
But it was very sweeping and unfounded accusations, says Jerdén.
See more in the clip above.