Opinion | H&M blunder: A lesson to learn from

By Alan Leung, Blogger specialized in current affairs

As the American led misinformation campaign on Xinjiang intensified after the US and their European allies ganged together to impose unjustified unilateral sanctions on China over baseless accusations of genocide, human rights abuse and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, they failed to offer a single piece of genuine evidence which would hold in a court law. To make matters worse, the accusations originated from a single dubious source hyped by western mainstream media.

Swedish multinational clothing retailer H&M, the second-largest global clothing retailer, and an expanding list of foreign clothing retailers, including Adidas, New Balance, Nike, Burberry and others, have announced their "cutting off ties" with Xinjiang cotton and released statements commenting on concern of forced labor, human right or genocide in Xinjiang over the past two years are beginning to face a major backlash in China.

A growing Chinese netizen public uproar and online campaign called to boycott H&M and other foreign brands over their refusal to use Xinjiang cotton based on false accusations in China. Major Chinese tech firms have erased the Swedish company's virtual presence in China, while major e-commerce platforms including JD, Taobao and Pinduoduo have removed H&M products from their stores, heavily hurting H&M ability to reach customers in a country where more than a fifth of the shopping is done online.

Chinese celebrities were also quick to cut ties with problematic brands to limit damage to their image and avoid being caught up by the backlash, many brands such as H&M, Burberry, Nike, Uniqlo and Lacoste have already lost their Chinese brand ambassadors as celebrities rushed to terminate their contracts. Tencent Holdings Ltd even announced the removal of their Burberry designed hallmark tartan costumes worn by characters in Honor of Kings, a wildly popular mobile game in China.

Many affected foreign companies are accusing China of politicizing the business environment as they face backlash, for what they believe was caused by being perceived to have said something that is "anti-China". They also claimed that they would have faced the threat of being boycotted in the Western markets if they remained silent, because public opinion in the west demands them to demonstrate clear and transparent corporate social responsibility principles.

However, a truly transparent and responsible company, such as US footwear producer Skechers, would have conducted an audit of its manufacturers and suppliers after the March 1 report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which alleged that 82 international corporations producing wares in China were benefiting from the forced labor of the Uyghur minority, to examine if the allegations were true or not and releasing the audits result to the public, instead of making irresponsible, misleading or false statements.

Anyone who has worked in any businesses involved with manufacturing in China will know that factories and suppliers are always open for auditing, especially those involved in export businesses. It's not only an industry norm to be audited by customers, assigned inspection and certification companies or in many cases both, but it's also a prerequisite to gaining foreign orders, in particular orders from large multinational companies. There is no excuse that an audit can't be done, it is only down to the company willingness to make the effort.

The Chinese people are not blinded by their government and they certainly do not believe everything their government and media tell them like many in the west believe. In fact Xinjiang, a region that not many cared about in past, has become a very hot topic in China in recent years due to the constant accusations, however as China has an extremely large number of migrant workers moving between provinces it is not hard for the regular Chinese to find a Xinjiang migrant worker or someone who has worked in the region to inquire first- hand information about the truth of the situation.

In addition, many people including foreigners living in China had made special trips to the region to find out the truths for themselves, many have made videos, video blogs or even live streams that can be seen on the internet including on YouTube. Therefore, who is politicizing the business environment? These companies that make irresponsible and slandering statements without bothering to fact check or provide evidence, or the people who are patriotic and angry with the unfair treatment of their country?

It's unbelievably arrogant and irrational that any company would believe they could get away with slandering and disrespecting their customers' country and wouldn't face any consequences. These companies involved in the recent public uproar in China will end up paying a heavy price for their arrogance and stupidity, their loss of market shares in China will only be picked up by emerging Chinese companies or foreign companies that have demonstrated a true sense of clear and transparent corporate social responsibility.

Finally, if any foreign company that decides to do business in China should at least make the effort to understand Chinese culture. In Chinese culture, it's not an economic entity's place, foreign or local, to take political stance or to make political statements. Chinese companies always remain politically neutral and business-oriented, not only do they never allow themselves to get involved with the politics of their customers' countries, but most will also do their utmost to avoid being involved in their own national politics.

Foreign companies in China should always remember that if they want to do business in China, they need to respect the country, the people and the culture. If they ever decide to make any comments or accusations, they better have enough evidence to back up their claims, because Chinese don't mind genuine criticism as we believe it will only make us stronger. If there is enough genuine evidence, the Chinese people would pressure the Chinese government themselves.

However, there is nothing the Chinese hate more than being slandered and disrespected, and there is nothing that will cause a larger public uproar in China than what is perceived as a return of western imperialism mindset and unfair treatment toward the Chinese people, because while western countries may have long forgotten the years of imperialism and unfair treatment of the Chinese people, but the grievance is still fresh in the hearts of the Chinese people, including overseas Chinese.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.