Chinese customers threaten to cancel membership post Walmart's Xinjiang goods ban: Report

Agitated Chinese customers have threatened to cancel their membership cards after learning that Walmart has banned Xinjiang-produced goods from its Sam's Club, the retailer's high-end membership stores. Their outrage comes after US chip giant Intel apologised for a high-profile statement calling for a boycott of products from Northwest China's Xinjiang region, and US President Joe Biden signed the "Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act" into law, reported Global Times. The law prohibits the importation of goods into the US made with forced labour in Xinjiang. 

After discovering that Xinjiang products, particularly fruits, had become inaccessible online, people in China took to social media to ask for the reason. Netizens asked on Sam's Club's official Sina Weibo account 'where' these products are. The Global Times claimed to have used Sam's app to look for products relevant to Xinjiang and discovered that, while there were entries displayed, the search results were empty. Some typical Xinjiang products such as dates, cantaloupes and apricots are still available, but the report claimed that they are not grown in the region. 

Netizens reacted angrily to the move, with some threatening to cancel their Sam's Club membership cards. Meanwhile, some others suggested that "if you do business in China, you should either follow the rules or leave." When asked why users can't find Xinjiang products, a Sam's Club online customer support agent told the Global Times, "Goods are delisted according to our inventory, and we have many other similar products to choose from." Prunes, apples, cantaloupes, and bergamot pears from Xinjiang are extremely popular, accounting for a significant portion of the supermarket chain's fresh fruit sales.

China Slams US for signing the bill

The Chinese government has also slammed the US after President Biden signed the bill into legislation that bans imports from China's Xinjiang region. It was reportedly done in a move to hold the Chinese government accountable for the human rights abuses on Uyghur minority and other ethnic communities. Meanwhile, a statement by the Chinese Foreign Ministry called on Washington to fix its mistakes and refrain from interfering in China's internal affairs. The Chinese Foreign Ministry also stated that the US had exploited Xinjiang-related issues to spread false information and incite violence, reported Sputnik. 

Image: AP