Vietnam accused of laundering ‘Xinjiang’ cotton

Image: Jim Black / Pixabay

By Tess Langbroek

Campaigners have accused Vietnam of laundering cotton from ‘Xinjiang’ to help China bypass the fresh Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, EcoTextile reports on its website. Eventually, the Vietnamese manufacturers sell the items to the US market without disclosing the source.

In December 2021, President Joe Biden signed the legislation which bans most imports from ‘Xinjiang’ because of forced labor.

A coalition of organizations from Vietnam is urging the Department of Homeland Security to pay closer attention to exports from Vietnam. The country has been importing raw cotton and semi-finished cotton goods from ‘Xinjiang’ to produce clothing for brands such as Adidas Canada, American Eagle, Calvin Klein, etc.