China, once calling for a 'Nike boycott,' draws 350,000 to special sale event

Nike sneaker burning ceremony in China. As Western famous brands such as Nike and H&M imposed sanctions on China's Xinjiang Uyghur repression, some Chinese posted videos of burning Nike sneakers, launching a boycott campaign. Photo by Weibo capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] The boycott movement by Chinese consumers against the sports brand Nike, triggered by the cotton issue in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, is reported to have entered a lull.

According to foreign media including the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 29th, about 350,000 people flocked to a special sale event for women's Nike shoes held on the 26th on Tmall, operated by e-commerce company Alibaba, resulting in a sell-out.

The product was offered at a special price of 699 yuan (approximately 120,000 KRW), and 350,000 pairs were sold immediately.

Some Chinese consumers are calling for a boycott of all brands related to the Xinjiang cotton issue, but Nike and Adidas products are still being sold on major Chinese e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com.

The Chinese Football Association has also internally criticized Nike, the uniform sponsor of all teams in the Chinese Super League, regarding the Xinjiang cotton issue, but has not yet expressed any position on contract withdrawal.

Recently, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union (EU), and Canada imposed sanctions on China, citing human rights abuses against the Uygur people in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

This was due to the use of forced labor by Uygurs in cotton production in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In response, Chinese consumers launched a boycott against brands such as H&M, Nike, and Adidas that declared they would not use Xinjiang cotton.

Chinese celebrities who were promotional models for Nike also announced the suspension of their modeling activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.