It is one of the world's top cotton-producing regions feeding many western garment brands with textiles.

China launched a wide-ranging PR offensive Thursday against several retail giants after they expressed concern about the labor conditions in the northwestern region of Xinjiang.

In particular, sports apparel behemoth Nike and clothing retailer H&M faced backlash from Chinese state media and online retailers over historic statements of concern about forced labour in Xinjiang, according to the Financial Times (FT).

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Many Chinese have called for boycotts, celebrities have cut ties, and e-commerce platforms have dropped H&M, including Alibaba's T-mall and JD.com.

The move against these brands seems likely to be in retaliation for the European Union, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom imposing sanctions against Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses against the mostly Muslim Uighur minority group. Read more at i24