The boss of the company behind global fashion chain Uniqlo has told the BBC that the Japanese firm does not use cotton from the Xinjiang region of China in its products.
It is the first time Fast Retailing’s chief executive Tadashi Yanai has directly addressed the contentious issue.
China is a crucial market for Uniqlo not just for customers but also as a major manufacturing hub.
Xinjiang cotton was once known as some of the best fabric in the world.
But it has fallen out of favour after revelations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority.
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