Chinese company Shein dodges question about Uyghur forced labor

The lawyer for the Chinese company Shein refused to answer questions about the company's connection to East Turkistan cotton at an evidence hearing in the British Parliament, sparking strong opposition from MPs.
According to Voice of America, at an evidence hearing held in the British Parliament on January 7, Shein's lawyer, who was called to testify, repeatedly avoided answering questions about whether products sold on the platform had any connection to cotton produced in East Turkistan. This situation provoked strong anger from MPs. Currently, MPs are investigating whether there is forced labor in Shein's production process and supply chain.
It was reported that senior executives of China's Shein and Temu companies, which are currently penetrating the e-commerce markets of various countries, were summoned to an evidence hearing on labor rights compliance and product sourcing by the UK Parliament's Business and Industry Committee on January 7.
During the meeting, Zhu Yinan, Shein's legal director in London, refused to answer questions about whether the company's products included cotton from East Turkistan or other parts of China.
He also refused to answer whether the company's code of conduct prohibits suppliers from sourcing cotton from East Turkistan or whether the company was concerned about forced labor in East Turkistan. In his response, he made excuses, saying, "I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on geopolitical debates." He also claimed, "We comply with the laws and regulations of the countries where we operate; we follow British law."
Committee Chairman Liam Byrne expressed his dissatisfaction, emphasizing that he was shocked by the lack of information provided by Zhu Yinan and that his statements reduced parliamentary members' confidence in the absence of problems in Shein's supply chain to zero.
It is understood that Shein is preparing to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in the first quarter of this year with a value of 50 billion pounds. Although Shein was established in China, its current headquarters are in Singapore.
Currently, these two Chinese retail companies have started to become popular in various parts of the world, mainly selling Chinese-made clothing and products at particularly low prices. However, allegations and boycott calls are intensifying regarding the existence of forced labor in their supply chains, especially their connection to Uyghur forced labor.