Intel is besieged by Chinese netizens for sending letters to suppliers to ban Xinjiang products.

Intel's booth at the China International Information and Communication Exhibition in Beijing. (October 31, 2019)

WASHINGTON— 

The American semiconductor giant Intel, known for its production of computer central processing units, has been criticized by Chinese netizens in China because it recently sent a letter asking suppliers to avoid using Xinjiang-related products, labor, and services.

China Observer.com, a nationalist stance comparable to that of the Chinese state media "Global Times", disclosed on Weibo on Tuesday (December 21) that Intel issued a report in a variety of languages ​​including simplified and traditional Chinese, English, and Japanese. A letter from a supplier claiming that Intel’s investors and customers have been asking whether Intel purchases products or services from Xinjiang, China. In view of the fact that “governments in many countries and regions have imposed restrictions on products from Xinjiang, Intel must To ensure that our supply chain does not use any labor, purchased products or services from Xinjiang."

Intel also requires suppliers to prohibit any form of human trafficking or involuntary labor, such as forced labor, debt labor, indentured labor, or slavery.

When Observer.com reported on Intel’s letter to suppliers, it severely criticized “the United States and other Western countries slandering the existence of “forced labor” in Xinjiang”, and emphasized that “China has already expressed its solemn position, that is, this is a century lie.”

The report accuses Western politicians, especially American politicians, of clamoring the so-called "forced labor". "The essence is to engage in political manipulation under the guise of human rights, interfere in China's internal affairs, and curb and suppress the development of China, especially Xinjiang."

Observer.com criticized Intel for listening to the rhetoric of American politicians. Intel’s executives accused Intel of expressing belief in the U.S. government’s report on human rights violations by the Chinese government in Xinjiang as early as July this year. The biggest offense in the Chinese market".

According to a Bloomberg report, there have been more than 250 million hot searches on this topic on China's Weibo.

Bloomberg reported that Intel’s position on Xinjiang has not changed in fact. A report on corporate responsibility issued by Intel earlier this year pointed out that the company found through due diligence that it did not use any workers from Xinjiang, nor did it purchase any products or services from the local area.

Bloomberg once contacted Intel's headquarters in California for comment on the matter, but did not receive an immediate response.

Bloomberg pointed out that it is increasingly difficult for foreign companies operating in China to find a balance between maintaining China's vast market and taking care of their own concerns. Western governments, including the United States, accused Beijing of implementing forced labor in industries such as Xinjiang’s cotton, and therefore imposed sanctions on such violations of human rights. The US government and some human rights groups even accused the Chinese government of detaining more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang on the grounds of counter-terrorism and de-radicalization.

The Chinese government claims that all these allegations are baseless and has imposed counter-sanctions against the sanctions imposed by the United States and the West.

The famous Swedish clothing company Haines Morris (H&M), which once regarded China as its fourth largest market in the world, was resisted by consumers in China because it said it would stop purchasing cotton from Xinjiang, and was finally forced to shut down in China. All stores. Nike and Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo have also been bombarded by Chinese netizens and consumers for the same problem.

When reporting on Intel’s letter, China Observer.com also stated that it had consulted the company’s financial reports and found that since 2015, China has been Intel’s largest source of revenue. Intel’s total revenue in China (including Hong Kong) reached US$20.26 billion last year, followed by Singapore’s US$17.85 billion.

After the Observer website disclosed Intel’s letter of banning Xinjiang products, Chinese netizens flooded into Intel’s official Weibo account to criticize and criticize the company.

"Are you lunatic, pick up the bowl to eat and put down the bowl to scold your mother?" someone said.

"Isn't there Xinjiang long-staple cotton in the renminbi? How do you get the money from Intel?" Another person asked.

"Intel, what do you want? What does the Xinjiang issue mean? Explain," some people questioned.

However, since China still relies to a large extent on the central processing unit and high-end chips provided by Intel, netizens scold it, and basically there is no voice of boycott.

Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of the Global Times, who just retired, posted on his WeChat official account on Wednesday. Although he criticized Intel for "eating and smashing the pot", he also admitted that Intel's central processing unit is still a hard demand in China. It is not too worried about China. revenge.

"The United States is still stronger than us. Sometimes we can't restrain the other side and become passive and the other side will be arrogant, which is inevitable. Intel's madness clearly exposes our weaknesses and weaknesses," Hu Xijin said.

"A company like Intel, let us take out our small books and write down the bad things it has done. The stronger China is, the more we will be able to retaliate against them," Hu Xijin said.