HUMAN RIGHTS 'Mulan' Filming Location Gets Disney in Trouble

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If you made it to the credits of Disney’s Mulan remake this weekend, you probably skipped right over the customary "thank yous" hoping for a bonus scene.  But some eagle-eyed viewers spotted controversial nods to eight government entities in China’s western Xinjiang region, where part of the movie was filmed. Those entities include multiple propaganda agencies on a White House blacklist for links to forced labor and human rights abuses.  What’s going on in Xinjiang? It’s where China’s Communist Party has detained an estimated 1+ million ethnic minorities, particularly Uighur Muslims. China claims it's running job-training centers and combating Islamic extremism. But numerous reports, leaks, and testimonies point to mass surveillance of Uighurs as well as physical and verbal abuse, indoctrination, and “demographic genocide” (reducing birth rates through forced birth control, sterilization, and abortions).  Human rights advocates call it China’s worst abuse in decades, and foreign governments have pressured Beijing to stop. It's a big deal for businesses Importing goods produced by forced labor is a violation of federal law. In July, President Trump added 11 companies with ties to alleged human rights violations to the blacklist, affecting a supplier for apparel brands including Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss.  A recent NYT investigation found at least 17 Xinjiang companies use Uighur labor to produce medical-grade face masks sold in the U.S. Yesterday, the White House said it banned imports from a trio of companies in Xinjiang and plans to add six more to the list targeting cotton, textiles, and tomatoes. Xinjiang produces 84% of China’s cotton and is a top textile and apparel supplier. A ban could have major implications for clothing brands and increase pressure to relocate supply chains.  Zoom out: According to the Uyghur Human Rights Project, “because forced labor is used so ubiquitously throughout Xinjiang...governments, companies, and consumers should assume that any cotton products sourced from China are a product of China’s cotton gulag.”