The Xinjiang controversy: Stars choosing China over sponsors H&M, Puma, and Adidas

Actors and musicians from South East Asia have stepped into a diplomatic fight between western fashion brands and the Chinese government. The subject of dispute: Xinjiang cotton. Read about the controversial commodity from China and the stars who have taken a stand.

(Image: zhoudongyu, yuyanpeng and victoria02_02 on Instagram)

As its name suggests, Xinjiang cotton is cotton that is farmed from the autonomous Chinese region of Xinjiang. Xinjiang is China’s top cotton producer.

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From BBC, there have been allegations surrounding the ethicality of cotton production in Xinjiang, as China has been accused of forcing ethnic minority Muslim Uyghurs to pick cotton amongst other accusations of human rights abuses.

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To which, countries including the US, Canada, Britain and the EU have formed coordinated sanctions in protest to the alleged human rights abuses from China, according to South China Morning Post.

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Following up with the global sanctions, many fashion brands such as Nike, H&M, Adidas released statements declaring that they will be stopping the use of Xinjiang cotton in their products due to the allegations of human rights abuses, BBC reports.

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In response, China called up for sanctions of their own against the involved countries. From South China Morning Post, the Communist Party Youth League made an official statement on Weibo that prompted the public to call for a boycott for brands involved.

From BBC, the statement reads: “Spreading rumours to boycott Xinjiang cotton, while also wanting to make money in China? Wishful thinking!”

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Soon after, several artists announced their side on the matter, with many supporting China and the use of Xinjiang cotton. In response to the boycott of Xinjiang cotton by fashion giants like Adidas and H&M, a number of celebrities decided to end their sponsorship contracts with those brands.

Eason Chen is a Hong Kong singer and actor and is one of the biggest stars to take a stand in supporting Xinjiang cotton by cutting off his lifetime endorsement deal with Adidas. From Today Online, the move came after Adidas released statements expressing their concerns over the ethicality of Xinjiang cotton.

Today Online reports that the singer-actor is reportedly due to face a 60 million yuan penalty for breaking the contract.

Along with Eason Chen, Taiwanese celebrities Eddie Peng and Janine Chang have also terminated their partnership with Adidas.

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Fellow Taiwanese star Greg Hsu has also withdrawn his endorsement and partnership with Puma after the brand has also followed suit from Adidas with announcing their disapproval of the Xinjiang cotton industry.

From Taiwan News, netizens have mixed feelings in response towards their Taiwanese celebrities withdrawing from their endorsement deals in support of China. Some have criticized the stars for selling themselves out to China for better and more business opportunities from the mainland. Whereas others have shown support in their freedom to pick sides in politics.

(Image: Star Chinese Channel, Hunan TV and DMG Entertainment Media)

One celebrity against H&M after the company’s disapproval over the ethicality of Xinjiang cotton is Chinese actor Huang Xuan. Huang Xuan was one of the Chinese brand ambassadors of H&M, and immediately sought to end his contract when the news broke out.

From Drama Panda, Huang Xuan’s agency released a statement on Weibo addressing his withdrawal from his relationship with H&M, that he and his agency will continue to protect the sovereignty of China by opposing attempts by any, that is aimed to “discredit [China’s] human rights efforts”.

Alongside Huang Xuan, fellow Chinese ambassador to H&M Victoria Song also has withdrawn her endorsement and partnership with the Swedish fast-fashion retailer.

Although a Chinese national, Victoria Song is a member of the Korean girl group f(x). From Koreaboo, whilst her response drew praise from many Chinese fans, it left many of her Korean fans disappointed.

A-list actress Zhou Dongyu is also among the list of celebrities who have terminated their partnership with western brands in support of China’s Xinjiang cotton industry.

Zhou Dongyu served as brand ambassador to luxury fashion brand, Burberry. From Forbes, She ended her ties with the fashion brand after Burberry made an official announcement banning the use of Xinjiang cotton in their products.

This is not the first instance that Chinese celebrities have made a political stand for China. Most recently, Chinese actress and star of Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Liu Yifei announced publicly that she was in support of the Hong Kong police during the Hong Kong pro-democracy riots, according to CNN.