写作素材积累| 每周国际要闻3.26-4.1(HM和棉花)

1、H&Mreleases new statement, looking to regain trust in China

H＆M发表新声明，希望重新获得对中国的信任

H&M said on Wednesday its commitment to Chinaremained strong and it wasdedicated to regaining shoppers' and partners' trust following a recentbacklash in the country against comments it made in 2020 on China's Xinjiangregion.

"We are dedicated to regaining the trust andconfidence of our customers, colleagues, and business partners in China,"it said in a statement on its website.

"By working together with stakeholders andpartners, we believe we can take steps in our joint efforts to develop the fashionindustry, as well as serve our customers and act in a respectful way," itsaid.

The fast-fashion company is at the center of aboycott in China which also involvedother international brands, such as Nike and Adidas, for their ban on Xinjiangcotton over alleged "forcedlabor."

A one-year-old statement from the Swedish fashionbrand was unearthed last week which caused a fever pitch on Chinese social media. The ban was based ona move by Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a global non-profit organization.

The China office of BCI said it didn't find anycase of "forced labor" in Xinjiang in a statement released on itsWeChat account lastFriday.

The U.S.imposed sanctions on Xinjiang cotton last year, citing forced laborconcerns. Beijing has repeatedlydenied all allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang, maintaining thatthere were poverty alleviation efforts to help rural residents throughvocational training centers.

  

H＆M周三表示，其对中国的承诺仍然坚定，并致力于恢复购物者和合作伙伴的信任，此前该国最近对2020年对中国新疆地区的评论表示强烈反对。

该公司在其网站上的一份声明中说：“我们致力于恢复我们在中国的客户，同事和业务合作伙伴的信任和信心。”

它说：“通过与利益相关者和合作伙伴的合作，我们相信我们可以采取措施共同努力发展时尚产业，并为我们的客户提供服务并以尊重的方式行事。”

这家快时尚公司处于中国抵制活动的中心，该抵制活动还涉及其他国际品牌，例如耐克和阿迪达斯，原因是它们因所谓的“强迫劳动”而禁止了新疆棉花。

上周，瑞典时尚品牌发表了一份长达一年的声明，这在中国社交媒体上引起了热议。该禁令是基于全球非营利组织“良好棉花发展协会”（BCI）的举动。

BCI中国办事处表示，上周五在其微信账户上发布的一份声明中说，在新疆未发现任何“强迫劳动”案件。

美国去年以对强迫劳动的担忧为由，对新疆棉花实施了制裁。北京一再否认有关新疆所有强迫劳动的指控，坚持认为已经通过职业培训中心进行了扶贫工作，以帮助农村居民。

 

 

 

2、BCI'sprofessionalism cast in doubt BCI的专业精神受到质疑

Better Cotton Initiative, a Switzerland-basedorganization, is in the news because its false claim of "forced labor" in theXinjiang Uygur autonomous region has prompted several international apparelbrands to boycott Xinjiang cotton.

Surely, the BCI lacks professionalism. It claims to"make global cotton production better for the people who produce it,better for the environment it grows in and better for the sector'sfuture", yet many professionals say some of the standards are so low thatChina has long abolished them. Ironically, this "bettercotton" organization stopped attesting Xinjiang cotton based on somedubious reports in the United States and Australia.

Reports of "forced labor" in Xinjiang areat bestlaughable, especially because machines are increasingly being used in the cotton industrythere.

BCI's official website lists the US Agency forInternational Development as a funding partner. Although it claims to savelives and alleviate poverty, it is common knowledge that USAID servesthe US' interests by interfering in the internal affairs of the countries andregions that receive its aid. Can such an organization be impartial?

Besides, BCI council chairperson Marc Lewkowitz isthe CEO of Supima in the US, which is competing with Xinjiang cotton. No wonderthe BCI hates Xinjiang cotton so much.

Also, the BCI has never made public what factorsare its standards based on and how it makes its decisions. It has just rented afew offices in an office building in Geneva. More importantly, it calls itselfan NGO but each of its over 2,000 members have to pay an annual membership feeranging from €6,000($7,026) to €45,000. Where is all that money going?

The BCI's credentials are not above suspicion. Itis absurd for such anorganization to slander Xinjiang cotton.

瑞士组织“良好棉花发展协会”（BetterCotton Initiative）受到新闻报道，因为它在新疆维吾尔自治区的“强迫劳动”虚假主张促使多个国际服装品牌抵制新疆棉花。

当然，BCI缺乏专业性。它声称“使全球棉花生产对其生产者更好，对它所生长的环境，对该行业的未来也更好”，但是许多专家说，某些标准太低了，中国早就废除了这些标准。具有讽刺意味的是，根据美国和澳大利亚的一些可疑报道，这个“良好棉花发展协会”停止了对新疆棉花的证明。

新疆“强迫劳动”的报道充其量是可笑的，特别是因为那里的棉花工业中越来越多地使用机器。

BCI的官方网站将美国国际开发署列为资金合作伙伴。尽管美国国际开发署声称要挽救生命并减轻贫困，但众所周知，美国国际开发署通过干预获得援助的国家和地区的内政来维护美国的利益。这样的组织可以公正吗？

此外，BCI理事会主席Marc Lewkowitz是美国Supima的首席执行官，该公司正在与新疆棉花竞争。难怪BCI如此讨厌新疆棉花。

而且，BCI从未公开过其标准基于什么因素以及如何做出决定。它刚刚在日内瓦的一栋办公楼内租了一些办公室。更重要的是，它自称是一个非政府组织，但其2,000多个成员中的每个成员都需要支付每年6,000欧元（7,026美元）至45,000欧元的会员费。这些钱都去哪儿了？

BCI的资历不容置疑。这样的组织诽谤新疆棉花是荒谬的。

 

文章素材来自China Daily

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