Daily Times

Western ban on Xinjiang cotton will hurt the global economy, said Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director of Islamabad-based Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS).

In an article published by Gwadar Pro on Wednesday, he said as the world’s biggest apparel market, China produces 30% of the world’s cotton, accounting for about 24% of global sales. The province of Xinjiang is the fifth largest producer and distributor of cotton to the globe. In many major Western clothing brands, China has been their biggest growth market for a couple of past decades.

Presently, the western market has banned Chinese cotton supply, claiming human rights violation in the cotton-growing Xinjiang region (the Uighurs minority area). The US, Australia, and other big international firms have raised concerns over the sources of cotton production. However, all the allegations are meaningless and merely politicizing campaigns against the rising Chinese economy.

China has alleviated poverty and sustainable development in Xinjiang autonomous region. The employment level is stable and a large number of job opportunities have been created. According to United Nations trade data, almost two-third of the clothing sold in Australian stores is manufactured in China. Some cotton products, China’s share is much greater than the average. About 80% of men’s undergarments, 90% of handkerchiefs and almost 98% of some cotton fabric categories come from China.

Furthermore, it is also estimated that about 4% of Australia’s clothes are manufactured locally, and much of that use Chinese fabric and yarns. In this aspect, dis-engaging and restricting China’s cotton supply chains over false allegation and mere propaganda would be detrimental for the cotton availability in the international market.

Xinjiang accounts for 87% of China’s domestic cotton production. Apart from Xinjiang, the areas in which major cotton production is held in China are the Yellow River basin and the Yangtze river basin. Area of Xinjiang cotton-planting is the most appropriate cotton-planting region in China. It has the largest cultivation scale, the highest yield, the most advantageous output to input, and the greatest development potential. The technological advancement has paved the way for more efficient cotton production in the province. In this aspect, any meaningless allegations or claims by the Western countries to halt Xinjiang cotton supply or any false propaganda would have huge economic repercussions for the world as many Western states and leading international brands are heavily dependent on China’s cotton.”