China’s anti-corruption agency warns Walmart and Sam’s Club over Xinjiang products

BEIJING: China’s anti-corruption agency on Friday accused US retail giant Walmart Inc and its Sam’s Club chain of “stupidity and short-sightedness” after social media users alleged that Sam’s Club removed Xinjiang-sourced products from stores. Had given.

Last week, Sam’s Club came under fire in China after users of the Weibo social media platform allegedly shared screenshots showing that products from the far-western Chinese region of Xinjiang were sold via the store’s online app. was removed from.

Controversy erupted on social media soon after US President Joe Biden signed legislation banning imports from Xinjiang on 23 December.

Neither Walmart nor Sam’s Club have made a public statement on the matter, and Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

The ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), in a statement on its website, accused Sam’s Club of boycotting Xinjiang products and trying to “mess up” the Xinjiang issue by remaining silent.

“Removing all products from an area without a valid reason conceals an ulterior motive, exposes stupidity and short-sightedness, and will certainly have its own ill-effects,” the commission said.