Bullying and boycott: How does China punish companies that criticize their persecution of Uyghur Muslims?

After Intel, the global electronics giant, asked its Chinese suppliers to boycott the upcoming products, Xinjiang. Beijing has responded with a massive media bullying campaign and threats, in a new round of crackdown on voices critical of its persecution of Uyghur Muslims.

The global electronics company "Intel" announced its apology to the Chinese people for "the insult contained in its statement", according to what was published on its official accounts on social media. An apology, observers say, comes in deference to a widespread media bullying campaign and threats to the company, in retaliation for its request from its Chinese suppliers to avoid products manufactured in Xinjiang, where the Beijing authorities are persecuting the Muslim majority of its population.

It is not the first time that China has punished critics of human rights abuses it perpetrates against the Uyghur minority, including detention, torture and forced labor. In the same way that systemic media defamation and threats are combined with economic sanctions, China is cracking down on anyone who refuses to get involved in the tragedy of its western province.

What prompted "Intel" to apologize?

The story goes back to Intel's annual letter to its Chinese suppliers, urging them to avoid making products destined for the company's factories "any human trafficking or forced labor, servitude or debt servitude." She added

It "was required to ensure that its supply chain does not use any labour, goods or services" from Xinjiang in accordance with the restrictions imposed by "multiple governments". Emphasizing that each supplier is obligated to alert the company in the event of suspected imbalances of this kind.

In response, the Chinese authorities decided to launch a hostile campaign against the company. Several activists on social media, sympathizers with the ruling Communist Party, attacked the company, accusing it of insulting and blackmailing the Chinese nation. Meanwhile, the party's media launched a media campaign criticizing the global chip manufacturing giant.

The Global Times, which is run by members of the Beijing ruling party, described Intel's statement as "ridiculous". And that the company "bites the hand that fed it", since "26% of its total revenue in 2020 came from China." The newspaper urged the Chinese authorities to take economic measures against "Intel", saying: "What we need to do is to make the companies abusive to China pay a heavy price, and that their losses outweigh their gains."

In the same context, the famous Chinese singer, Carrie Wong, announced that he will not continue his work as an ambassador for the "Intel" brand, in protest against what was stated in its statement. A number of Chinese social media users have called for a boycott of the company's products.

Caving in to this pressure and economic blackmail, Intel announced its apology to "the Chinese people for any insult contained in the supplier's letter." "We apologize for any trouble we've caused to our respected Chinese customers, partners and the public," the company said in a post it promoted on social media. "The Xinjiang paragraph in the letter is only intended to express the original intent to comply and legality, and is not an official position of the company," it explained.

There have been several international reports about human rights violations committed by the Chinese authorities against the Uyghur people in the western region of Xinjiang. Including detention and torture, and forcing them to work in inhumane conditions.

How does Beijing take revenge on the companies that criticize it?

It is not the first time that China has attacked companies disciplined by international sanctions over the Xinjiang region. Before that, international clothing companies suffered from Chinese retaliatory moves, for their decision to boycott the cotton produced in the aforementioned region, because its production is linked to detention and forced labor camps in which the Chinese authorities place citizens of the Muslim Uyghur nationalism.

And the Chinese authorities threatened both the American companies "Nike" and "H&M" Sweden with a boycott. Major online stores in China, such as Alibaba and JD, have pulled the Swedish company's products from their display pages. China's state-run CCTV channel criticized foreign brands, describing them as making big profits in China, but at the same time attacking the country with lies.

It is therefore the same strategy pursued against the global electronics factory, the features of which are clarified by a previous article in the British Guardian, saying that "China is seeking more broadly to deter any criticism of Xinjiang, as it denies any rights violations there." He likened this to the sanctions imposed in 2010 against Norwegian fish exports after the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize.

While these sanctions do not count as "reciprocity", as they target their Western counterparts responsible for human rights violations in China, while China targets independent economic actors.

In another update of the issue, US President Joe Biden signed a law banning the import of a group of products made, in whole or in part, in the Chinese province of Xinjiang into the United States with the aim of combating forced labor for the Muslim Uyghur minority there. This is "unless the companies can prove to customs officials that the goods were not manufactured by forced labor," says the text of the law. While the White House clarified that the signed text "also imposes sanctions on foreigners responsible for forced labor in the region."