A Chinese government spokesperson took a softer stance on the hot-button issue, and said businesses that source and manufacture in China "should not be swayed by political pressure."

Tadashi Yanai, chairman and president of Uniqlo clothing chain operator Fast Retailing Co., has caused controversy in China for ･･･

Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo’s founder, Tadashi Yanai, told the BBC in an exclusive interview that the company "does not use Xinjiang cotton," which is produced through forced labor. The statement quickly sparked a backlash among Chinese netizens on Friday,

Uniqlo is facing an online backlash in China after the boss of its parent company said the Japanese clothing retailer does not source cotton from Xinjiang. Fast Retailing's chief executive Tadashi Yanai said Uniqlo was "not using" cotton from the western Chinese province in a BBC interview this week.

Uniqlo doesn't use cotton from China's Xinjiang region to make its products, Tadashi Yanai, the chief executive of Fast Retailing, the company behind the global fashion chain, has said.

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.

Uniqlo is facing an online backlash in China after the boss of its parent company said the Japanese clothing retailer does not source cotton from Xinjiang. Fast Retailing's chief executive Tadashi Yanai said Uniqlo was "not using" cotton from the western Chinese province in a BBC interview broadcast this week.