CCP probes Nike, Adidas, and other brands for using Chinese slave labor.

House Select Committee Investigates Nike and Adidas for Allegedly Using Chinese Slave Labor

The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has launched investigations into major clothing brands such as Nike and Adidas for allegedly selling products made from Chinese slave labor. This news comes after the committee sent letters to the CEOs of Nike, Adidas, and SHEIN with a series of questions aimed at unearthing the companies’ potential use and distribution of products made from forced Uyghur labor. A letter was also sent to the president of Temu, an online marketplace, with similar inquiries.

The Uyghur Genocide

For context, Uyghur Muslims are a religious minority under persecution in Xinjiang, China. It’s estimated that the CCP has detained roughly 2 million Uyghurs in internment camps, where they are forced to experience routine brainwashing that’s marketed as “reeducation.” Meanwhile, Uyghur women are reportedly forced to undergo sterilization and abortions.

In their letter to Nike, Committee Chair and GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin and Democrat Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois note how one expert told the committee that the sportswear company is “sourcing garments made not only from cotton from the Uyghur Region but also viscose, lyocell, polyester, leather, and linen from the region.”

Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

The UFLPA prohibits the importation of “all goods, wares, articles, and merchandise mined, produced, or manufactured wholly or in part in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China.” Congressional lawmakers are seeking information related to each manufacturer’s supply chains and practices, such as a “detailed description of the steps” the companies have taken to ensure they aren’t distributing products made with forced Chinese labor. The select committee has also requested that each company preserve documents and communication records related to its inquiry.

Response from Nike and Adidas

According to a March 2020 report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, roughly 600 Uyghur workers from China’s Xinjiang province were “employed” at Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co. Ltd, whose “primary customer is the American multinational company Nike Incorporated.” While Nike has denied it sources products from the Uyghur Region, the sportswear company partnered with Coca-Cola and Apple in November 2020 to lobby against the UFLPA. Nike CEO John Donahoe has also defended his company’s relationship with communist China, reportedly saying in a June 2021 phone call with Wall Street analysts that “Nike is a brand that is of China and for China.”

The House Select Committee on the CCP has given Nike, Adidas, SHEIN, and Temu until May 16 to respond to its questions and related inquiries. The committee is deeply troubled by the reports of corporate complicity raised by its witnesses and will be examining their concerns about American companies.

• Shawn Fleetwood is a Staff Writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington.
• He also serves as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review.
• Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood