Xinjiang cotton growers buoyant as prices rise

Huang Ping, a cotton grower in Yuepuhu county, Kashgar prefecture, said the only setback for cotton production in Xinjiang this season was bad weather in spring, rather than groundless accusations.

"To secure a stable supply from Xinjiang, many textile companies have already sent representatives to the region to source more cotton. As a grower, all I need to think about is further improving the quality, as quality cotton will always be in hot demand globally," Huang said.

Zhang Xi'an, deputy director of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles, said the boycott and export ban on Xinjiang cotton has affected exports of Chinese cotton products to the US, but demand remains strong in other markets.

Although some US buyers have chosen not to work with Chinese companies that use Xinjiang cotton, the export volume of China's cotton textiles and garments reached $19.7 billion in the first four months of this year, a year-on-year rise of 44 percent, he added.

"Despite the impact of the Xinjiang cotton boycott, demand for Chinese cotton products in the international market is very strong," Zhang said.

China has stated many times that allegations of forced labor in Xinjiang are fabricated by certain Western countries, including the US, with the aim of cracking down on relevant Chinese parties and companies and curbing China's development.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said,"The US side created this lie and then took actions based on this lie."