In a move that could further escalate tensions between the United States and China, a US lawmaker has called for sanctions against Chinese fast-fashion retailer Shein for allegedly using cotton produced by forced labor in Xinjiang province. The allegations, which have been widely reported in the media, have been denied by Shein, which has said that it does not source any cotton from Xinjiang. However, the call for sanctions has added to the growing pressure on Shein, which has been accused of a number of ethical and environmental abuses in recent years.
The sanctions call was made by Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, who is the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, McCaul urged the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Shein under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which was passed by Congress in December 2021. The act prohibits the import of goods produced by forced labor in Xinjiang, a region in western China where the Chinese government has been accused of carrying out a systematic campaign of repression against the Uyghur Muslim minority.
McCaul’s letter cited a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which found that Shein was one of 83 global brands that had sourced cotton from Xinjiang in 2020. The report alleged that cotton from Xinjiang was being produced using forced labor, with Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities being forced to work in cotton fields and factories. Shein has denied these allegations, saying that it does not source any cotton from Xinjiang and that it has a .
