But not for the reasons you think

Welcome to China Uncensored, I'm Chris Chappell.

Over the last couple of years, the world has finally started speaking out against the Chinese

Communist Party's treatment of the Uyghurs.

Including the concentration camps, the forced labor, and oh yeah, the genocide. 

Two weeks ago, both the US and the EU imposed sanctions on China over the treatment of Uyghur

Muslims. 

And now that Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang is in the spotlight, international companies

are also responding.

Especially the world's apparel brands. 

That's because “The region [of Xinjiang] accounts for 85% of China's and 20% of the

world's cotton...and it is 'very likely' that any cotton from Xinjiang may involve

coerced labour.”

Fashion companies don't want to be caught selling slave-labor cotton.

That look is so 1860s.

That's why organizations like the Better Cotton Initiative started pulling out of Xinjiang

last year.

And companies like Under Armour implemented controls to guard against cotton from Xinjiang

being used in their products. 

Last September, H&M announced it was cutting ties with their Chinese supplier because of

accusations of forced labor in Xinjiang. 

And in January, one of the Trump administration's last China-related policies was a total ban

on cotton produced in Xinjiang. 

As a result, “a multibillion-dollar supply chain splintered almost overnight over a human

rights issue.”

Which is a good thing.

Unless you're the Chinese Communist Party.

Because the whole genociding the Uyghurs thing is starting to become a problem for the Party.

I mean, they're not going to stop the genocide.

But what they really want is to be able to commit genocide quietly, while the rest of

the world ignores what's happening. 

That worked for them so well before with Falun Gong!

But now with the Uyghurs, foreign governments and companies are starting to acknowledge

what's happening and even worse, take action against it.

The Chinese regime can't let itself become a pariah state, like Iran or North Korea. 

So if you're an authoritarian regime looking to punish foreign companies for making you

look bad, what do you do?

I'll tell you after the break.

Welcome back.

So the Chinese Communist Party had an image problem.

But they found the solution: nationalism! 

Yes, Chinese state-run media has managed to turn this Xinjiang cotton ban to their advantage,

by using Chinese nationalism.

They did this by portraying the rejection of Xinjiang cotton as an insult to the Chinese

people.

It started with this Weibo post from the official account of the Communist Youth League.

It says “Trying to make money in China while spreading rumors and boycotting Xinjiang cotton,

wishful thinking!” 

Separately, the Communist Youth League posted a picture of black slaves working on a US

cotton plantation. 

This would become the two prongs of the Chinese propaganda attack: foreign brands are lying

and hurting the feelings of the Chinese people, and America is the country with slaves. 

And this message spread through both the propaganda apparatus and directly through the Chinese

government.

Here's state-run Xinhua News Agency, publishing a cartoon about the Better Cotton Initiative

being a puppet of the US.

And Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying even brought a picture of black slaves picking

cotton to show at her daily press conference.

Within hours of the first Communist Youth League post, it became a full nationalistic

blowout online.

Because it wouldn't be a mass campaign if the masses didn't get involved. 

Chinese fashion designers talked about how much they loved Xinjiang cotton.

More than 30 Chinese stars rushed to cut ties with brands that had stopped using Xinjiang

cotton. 

The celebrities shared this post that reads “I support Xinjiang Cotton.”

Mian Hua is Cotton in Chinese.

Notice how the M and H are the M and H in H&M.

I guess saying you support Xinjiang cotton sounds a lot better than saying you support

Xinjiang genocide. 

Anyway, Television shows that were set to air had to be changed at the last minute,

with several episodes showing actors with blurred out shoes! 

This screenshot is from the trailer of a TV episode set to release last week

And this is a screenshot from when the episode aired.

Yup.

No Prada here!

Yeah, they actually pulled a Stalin on fashion brands—airbrushing out the undesirables.

These brands practically stopped existing in China. 

You can't even find an H&M store, because they no longer appear on China's map apps.

H&M has even been removed from Apple Maps in China.

So H&M is just gone.

Cancelled.

Memory-holed.

Like it never even existed. 

And it didn't end there.

Rappers even released diss tracks against these fashion brands.

“Nike Fxxk  Adidas Shit

China So Dope”

Pure poetry. 

But the point is, hating Nike is hip!

I say Nike, you say Stupid, Nike, Stupid, Nike, Stupid!)

Remember, if you don't hate foreign brands with all your guts, then you're not really

Chinese!

Videos of people burning their Nike shoes became a trend...

because their love burns for China.

Ripping up shirts has also gone viral.

“You're Tshirt so sexy a”

Hold on, aren't these products they're ripping up and burning Made in China?

But there are also concerns that all of this performative patriotism could go too far. 

Here's a video of customers storming and trashing Nike store inventory.

And this video shows a woman taking her voice to the streets with a sign that reads “I

support Xinjiang cotton, Boycott H&M”.

And the security officers had a hard time diffusing the public disturbance.

In the end they just grabbed her and took her away.

“Everyone should join me and support Xinjiang cotton!”

“Ok, ok, Support support!”

People have also been harassing people who work for these stores.

Like this person who told an H&M worker to quit their job because they're selling out

China. 

 And people also harassed store staff on live

streams.

Flooding the live chat with comments like  “Cut The Stream”, “Quit”, “Get Out

of China”. 

The good news is it hasn't gotten as bad as the anti-Japan protests back in 2012, that

caused 100 million dollars in damage.

But I wouldn't want you to think that all Chinese people are joining in the anger.

Some actually said things like, “don't just support Xinjiang cotton, support Xinjiang

people.”

Those people had their accounts banned.

Which is yet another reminder of how the Chinese Communist Party is always watching.

“According to tests conducted by China Digital Times, internet platforms have been diligently

controlling search results and comments related to Xinjiang and H&M since last week.”

As I mentioned earlier, brands like H&M announced they were not using Xinjiang cotton last fall.

So why is the Chinese regime encouraging this outraged behavior now? 

Well, it probably has something to do with how the US, Canada, the EU, and UK are sanctioning

Chinese officials over Xinjiang.

In addition to directly retaliating against these countries, the Chinese Communist Party

is trying to punish foreign companies economically.

Because that's always worked before. 

And don't forget, while there might be genuine patriotic rage going on, it's being orchestrated

by the Party. 

“After the Communist Youth League ignited the outrage on Wednesday, other government-backed

groups and state news outlets fanned the flames.”

They're literally triggering people in order to foment this kind of anger.

And they're really good at it. 

And now it's time for me to answer a question from a member of the China Uncensored 50 Cent

Army, fans who support the show on Patreon.

Hungry Hunter asks, “Question: What is holding back the USA and others to also build bases

on these islands?

If I were the Philippines, I would ask other nations for a 10 year plan to build tons of

bases there just to piss China off.

What they gonna do?

Complain in the UN that will have to punish them too?

Wow, Hungry Hunter, you might have just come up with an amazing solution to the South China

Sea dispute.

Or possibly the beginning of World War 3. 

If you don't know, China claims the entire South China Sea as Chinese territory, with

their Nine Dash Line.

And to bolster that claim, they've been building artificial islands and establishing

settlements on them, including these 7 reefs in the Spratlys.

Some of those islands now have missile launchers on them.

And even though the UN has told China to stop, they just ignore that. 

So what if all the other countries in the region just got together and agreed to do

the same?

Or in the case of the Philippines, lease it out to the US to build missiles on?

Beat the Chinese Communist Party at its own game. 

Thanks for your question Hungry Hunter.

And if you'd like me to answer your question on the show, join the China Uncensored 50

cent army for as little as a dollar per episode.

Visit pateron.com/ChinaUncensored to learn more.

Once again I'm Chris Chappell, see you next time.