The long-running self-destructive streak in the People’s Republic of China seems to be manifesting itself again these days. This time in the conduct of its foreign policy. The latest is the attack on the Swedish retail giant H&M’s China business over the issue of a 2020 statement made by the company that its products do not use cotton grown in Xinjiang, because of forced labour allegations there. The action, in response to the European Union sanctions on Chinese individuals on account of rights violations in Xinjiang last week, could upend the promise of better China-EU ties that seemed to accompany the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) in December 2020.
Authors
- Published in
- India
