Xinjiang lie won't spare US companies

A craftsman offers wood handicrafts to train riders in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in April. The train connects northern and southern Xinjiang and is enjoyed by local residents. [Photo/Xinhua]

By Zhang Zhouxiang

The New York Times recently carried a photograph posted on the social media account of Xinjiang Nonferrous Metal Industry Group, showing 70 Uygur workers standing under the Chinese national flag expressing their love for China and the Communist Party of China. But it went on to say that this was "no ordinary worker orientation", but something to cover the "forced labor" in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

As always, it did that without ever visiting the place, let alone interviewing any of the 70 workers. It next turned its focus on the fact that China produces three-fourth of the world's lithium-ion batteries, mostly in Xinjiang, implying a call for the West to "boycott" it.

Years after anti-China German scholar Adrian Zenz fabricated the lie about Xinjiang, the witch hunt of Xinjiang products continues, be it sport brands, photovoltaic batteries, imported food, and now new energy vehicles and the lithium-ion batteries they use. Anybody who owns a Tesla share, better be careful.

The government of Xinjiang has invited journalists from around the world to visit Xinjiang many times, but the Western media outlets continue to turn a blind eye to it. And yet, the NYT says Uygur workers standing in solidarity with the country and Party is "no ordinary worker orientation", without providing any proof.

What more can Xinjiang do? Maybe it should do nothing. After all, it is not binding on the country to respond to such lies. Instead, certain US politicians might need to be reminded that by spreading such lies they are ruining their own industries, causing inflation and mass unemployment. Sport brands, and the photovoltaic and food industries are already suffering from the damaged supply chains because of such lies, and it could be the lithium-ion battery industry next.

The "Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act" that US President Joe Biden signed in December came into effect on Tuesday. No one knows how many more industries in the US are going to suffer as a result.