China’s anti-corruption agency on Friday accused the US retail giant Walmart and its Sam’s Club network of “stupidity and lack of vision” after Chinese media reported that Sam’s Club removed Xinjiang products from the stores.
Last week, Sam’s Club came under fire in China after several news agencies shared videos and screenshots on the social media platform Weibo that they said showed that products from the Xinjiang region of China’s far west had been removed. from the store’s online app.
Controversy on social media erupted after US President Joe Biden passed a Dec. 23 law banning imports from Xinjiang out of concerns about forced labor in the region.
Walmart is the most recent foreign company to be affected by Western pressure on Beijing’s treatment of Uighurs and other minority Muslims in Xinjiang.
China rejects allegations of forced labor or any other abuses in Xinjiang.
Walmart and Sam’s Club made no public statements about the reaction against them in China, and Walmart did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) accused Sam’s Club of boycotting Xinjiang products and trying to overcome the controversy by remaining silent.
“Removing all products from a region without a valid reason hides a hidden reason, reveals stupidity and lack of vision and will certainly have its own bad consequences,” it said in a statement on its website.
China is a big market for Walmart, which generated $11.4 billion in revenue in the country in the fiscal year ended Jan. 31. Of the 423 retail units that Walmart operates in China, 36 are Sam’s Club stores, according to its website.
Reference: CNN Brasil
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