Certain international brands and organizations must halt their inappropriate exclusion of cotton produced in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and related products from their supply chains, the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) said Thursday.

The CNTAC said in a statement it opposes any move that stigmatizes Xinjiang cotton, whose quality has been recognized globally. It urged those brands and organizations to respect the solemn position of Chinese companies and consumers and correct their wrong actions immediately.

China has the world's largest and most complete textile and garment industry and consumer market, and it is open to the world, the statement said, adding that the CNTAC supports the normal operation of transnational companies and their efforts in establishing industrial chains and supply chains in China.

The CNTAC will continue to support the production of Xinjiang cotton, and facilitate the development of Xinjiang's textile and garment industry, according to the statement.

Also on Thursday, China Cotton Association said suppressing China's cotton industry would hurt cotton farmers and textile workers, as well as the global supply and industrial chains of the textile and garment industry.

The association said brutal suppression by the West would not only hurt millions of cotton farmers and textile workers in Xinjiang, but also the interests of consumers, retailers, distributors and importers of textiles and garments in all countries.

This would, in turn, hurt the stability and prosperity of the global supply and industrial chains of the textile and garment industry, the association said.

China's cotton and textile industry has always protected the rights and interests of its employees, it said, with efforts being made to improve workers' living and working conditions, while boosting product quality to keep supply chains stable and efficient for global garment and retailing brands.

Cotton farmers and textile workers from China, as well as other participants in the industry, have contributed greatly to the development of the global cotton textile industry and deserve fair treatment, the association said.

As China's largest cotton-growing region, Xinjiang's annual cotton output stands at five million tonnes, accounting for more than 80 percent of domestic cotton production.

Cotton is a major source of income for farmers in Xinjiang, which contributes over 80 percent of the region's agricultural income. More than 50 percent of farmers in Xinjiang grow cotton, while the textile industry has created nearly 600,000 local jobs, according to the association.

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