Skechers opens store in Xinjiang amid scrutiny over Uyghur forced labor sanctions    

Washington — 

Despite ongoing U.S. sanctions targeting Chinese companies linked to Uyghur forced labour successful Xinjiang, United States-based footwear and apparel institution Skechers opened a caller outlet successful Urumqi, the region's capital.

The store opened connected September 28, days earlier Chinese nationalist vacation week, 1 of the country's busiest buying periods.

Its opening has drawn disapproval from quality rights advocates who question Skechers' determination to grow its beingness successful a portion nether planetary scrutiny and taxable to U.S. import bans connected goods tied to forced labor.

Jewher Ilham, forced labour task coordinator astatine the Worker Rights Consortium, expressed interest implicit Skechers' decision.

“By opening a store successful the Uyghur region, Skechers is making a shocking connection that it does not attraction astir quality rights,” she said.

Skechers did not respond to aggregate requests for remark from VOA.

Xinjiang, successful northwest China, has been astatine the halfway of planetary contention implicit allegations of quality rights abuses against Uyghurs and different Turkic Muslim minorities, including forced labor, wide incarceration and repression — claims Chinese authorities person consistently denied. Xinjiang produces one-fifth of the world’s cotton.

In response, the United States passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act successful 2022, which bars goods from Xinjiang unless proven to beryllium escaped of forced labor.

Skechers promoted its Urumqi store opening heavy connected Chinese societal media, with histrion and marque ambassador Donnie Yen encouraging his astir 130 cardinal followers connected Weibo to sojourn the outlet and research its “comfortable treasures.”

Yen did not respond to aggregate media inquiries from VOA regarding his sojourn to Xinjiang oregon his views connected the attraction of Uyghurs by Chinese authorities.

Timothy Grose, an subordinate prof of China studies astatine Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, pointed retired that “from a profit-seeking perspective, of course, Donnie Yen makes sense, particularly since astir 75% of Urumqi’s colonisation is Han Chinese.”

“Unfortunately, fewer Han are either afloat alert oregon are acrophobic astir authorities unit against the Uyghurs, truthful I uncertainty they volition beryllium judging Donnie Yen’s quality with their motivation compasses,” helium told VOA.

Corporate responsibility

This isn’t the archetypal clip Skechers has faced scrutiny implicit alleged ties to forced labour successful Xinjiang.

In effect to a 2020 study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute alleging its supplier employed Uyghur workers nether coercive conditions, Skechers denied the allegations. The institution said audits of its supplier, Dong Guan Lu Zhou Shoes, recovered nary grounds of forced labor, and that Uyghur workers were employed nether the aforesaid presumption arsenic different employees.

Skechers’ caller determination comes arsenic the U.S. continues to intensify its efforts to destruct forced labour from planetary proviso chains. On October 2, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security added 2 much Chinese companies to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, bringing the full fig of restricted entities to 75.

“Today’s actions reaffirm our committedness to eliminating forced labour from U.S. proviso chains and upholding our values of quality rights for all,” DHS undersecretary for argumentation Robert Silvers said successful a connection connected the DHS website. “No assemblage is off-limits. We volition proceed to place entities crossed industries and clasp accountable those who question to nett from exploitation and abuse.”

Chinese pushback

In China, Western companies that publically declared a interruption from sourcing products from Xinjiang person agelong faced backlash from Chinese consumers.

In September, PVH, genitor institution of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, became the archetypal Western steadfast investigated by Chinese authorities, who accused the institution of violating Chinese instrumentality by allegedly halting the acquisition of fabric and garments from Xinjiang.

Corporate work successful Xinjiang has go a contentious issue. Grose pointed retired that companies similar Skechers whitethorn presumption doing concern successful Xinjiang and China arsenic a harmless fiscal bet, contempt quality rights concerns.

The company’s actions are a stark reminder that companies should beryllium held accountable not conscionable by governments but by consumers, arsenic well, said Adrian Zenz, a elder chap and manager successful China studies astatine the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

“[B]rands are simply retired for profit, with nary respect to quality rights,” helium said. “Western consumers are not showing overmuch outrage implicit this. There is small backlash, truthful they volition bash it,” Zenz said.