Sanctions on Xinjiang cotton use opposed

"We hope these companies will respect the law of the market, rectify their erroneous actions and avoid politicizing business issues," Gao said.

Chinese social media users began to call on Wednesday for a boycott of H&M, the world's second-largest clothing retailer, after the Swedish company said in a statement that it wouldn't work with any Xinjiang garment manufacturing factories, nor would it source products from the region, because the company was concerned about reports of accusations of forced labor in the region.

Although the company's statement was first posted on its website last year, it drew wide attention after some Chinese social media accounts reposted it on Wednesday. As of Wednesday evening, H&M products had been removed from all major Chinese e-commerce platforms, including Taobao and JD.

Furthermore, Chinese netizens have noticed that international companies including Nike, Adidas and Uniqlo had all issued similar statements about Xinjiang, which triggered calls for boycotts of those brands as well.