State media accused H&M and other brands of improperly profiting from China while criticising it. That prompted Chinese retailers and Internet companies to distance themselves from the Swedish retailer, though other brands still were available on e-commerce platforms. South Korean athletic shoe brand FILA said Friday the company buys cotton from Xinjiang and will keep doing so. H&M's announcement last year that it no longer would use Xinjiang cotton cited the BCI's move to stop licensing cotton from the region because it was difficult to trace how it was produced. It was unclear why the party targeted H&M, whose expression of concern about Xinjiang was similar to that of other companies.

Source: The Star March 28, 2021 23:38 UTC