The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer attracted anger on Chinese social media beginning last week after internet users shared comments that purported to show that Walmart had stopped stocking products from Xinjiang in its China-based Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. Some said they had canceled their Sam’s Club memberships, while social-media accounts run by Communist Party-backed entities weighed in to criticize the company…
Last week, U.S. semiconductor giant Intel Corp. INTC 1.23% issued an apology to Chinese consumers, partners and the public following an outcry on Chinese social media against the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company, which had published on its website a letter to suppliers asking them to avoid sourcing from Xinjiang. The original letter said that the restrictions were required in response to U.S. law, though it didn’t specify which law.
Other Western businesses, including fast-fashion retailer H&M Hennes and Mauritz AB and sportswear maker Nike Inc., have also recently been targets of Chinese consumer fury. H&M’s online presence was erased from the Chinese internet this spring after the Swedish apparel firm said it would stop sourcing from Xinjiang.
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