Intel Faces Backlash In China After Asking Suppliers To Cut Sourcing From Xinjiang Region – Forbes
Intel is facing a backlash in China both from social media users and the country’s state-run media after the U.S. chipmaker asked its local suppliers to cut sourcing from the Xinjiang region where the Chinese government is accused of carrying out widespread human rights abuses and running forced labor camps.
Intel issued an apology on Chinese social media, noting that its statement on Xinjiang was an … [+]
In an annual letter to its suppliers, published earlier this month, Intel wrote it was required to ensure that its supply chain “does not use any labor or source goods or services from the Xinjiang region” due to restrictions imposed by “multiple governments,” Reuters reported.
State-run newspaper The Global Times lashed out at Intel in an editorial, calling the company’s statement “absurd” and noting that the chipmaker was “biting the hand that feeds it,” as it earned 26% of its revenues in China.
The backlash also spilled on to China’s social media platforms with many users on Weibo calling for a boycott of Intel products.
In a statement issued on Weibo, pop star Karry Wang said he will no longer be a brand ambassador for Intel as “national interests exceed everything.”
In response to the backlash, Intel issued an apology on its official WeChat account, noting that its letter was not “a statement of position” for the company but rather an effort to comply with U.S. law.
This year, several western nations including the U.S., U.K, Canada and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Chinese companies and officials accusing them of either aiding or engaging in human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region, which China has denied. China has been accused of detaining the region’s mostly Muslim Uighur minority group in camps where reports of torture, forced labor and sexual abuse have emerged through leaked documents and satellite images. The upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Beijing is also set to face a diplomatic boycott by several nations over the reported abuses. China, however, has attempted to push back against the allegations in a manner that has put several western companies in its crosshair. Earlier this year, the country’s state run media, fanned a boycott campaign against several western fashion brands including H&M, Adidas, Burberry and others, over their decision to not source cotton from the Xinjiang region.
Intel facing China backlash after Xinjiang statement (Reuters)
