Uygur residents work at a textile factory in Yuli county, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In an another attempt to taint China's Xinjiang policies, the US government is reportedly mulling a ban on cotton products made in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region over the so-called abuse of human rights. However, reality tells a different story and Western politicians have failed to listen to the true voices of residents in Xinjiang.

The Trump administration is considering a ban on some or all products made with cotton from the region, media reports said on Monday. The move came as Washington has repeatedly made accusations of "forced labor" in the region, which is considered to be a violation of human rights. However, such accusations were again refuted by local cotton factories, workers and Chinese experts, who all see these claims as ill-intentioned moves to smear China's efforts in creating jobs and helping end poverty in the region. 

Yuli county, under the administration of Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture in southeastern Xinjiang, is dedicated to cotton growing, and it has many related factories. Local farmers and workers have enjoyed an improving livelihood thanks to the thriving cotton industry, contradicting the "forced labor" narratives hyped by some Western politicians. 

Rustam Niyaz, a Uygur man who has worked at a textile factory for three years, told the Global Times on Wednesday that he took the job because of the high wages. "Now I can earn 4,000 yuan ($584) per month, and I'm very happy about that," he said. He is in charge of production safety and maintenance at the factory. 

The monthly salary of 4,000 yuan is above the average for the county, the Global Times learned. 

Nursman Haliq, a 23-year-old woman from Kashi, who has been working for another textile company in Yuli for one year and a half, said the major attraction is earning more money. "Now I earn about 3,000 yuan every month, and the living conditions are much better than where I used to live. I want to recommend that my friends come here too," she told the Global Times on Wednesday. 

"Working for a better life," was one of the most commonly heard phrases when Global Times reporters talked with local employees in the cotton and textile industry. Managers noted that it is a mutual choice for local factories and workers, and there is no such thing as so-called forced labor. 

Before working at cotton factory, Roxangul Siyit was a farmer who earned about 30,000 yuan annually with her husband at home. "Now I can earn more myself than the past total annual income for both of us. I hope to continue working here as it's such wonderful job," she said. 

A manager surnamed Zhang from a textile factory told the Global Times on Wednesday that local governments recommend some applicants for jobs in local textile factories. Then local enterprises contact them and sign work contracts that provide social insurance. Meanwhile, factories also provide training programs to their employees and there are some extra bonus payments as well. 

"There's a residential compound nearby that was ready to start selling in 2016. We provided subsidies to workers who wanted to buy an apartment, 20,000 yuan per person," Zhang said. 

A senior manager surnamed Zhou at another textile factory in Yuli told the Global Times that there are more than 300 employees at the factory, 90 percent of whom are Uygur residents. Twenty percent of the workers come from outside Yuli, including from southern Xinjiang and other cities outside the region. 

"In 2017, we renovated dormitories for migrant workers to improve their living conditions — for example, now six people live in one room, which is equipped with a toilet, a water heater and so on," Zhou said. 

The cotton and textile industry has become a major target for the US government in interfering in the internal affairs of China concerning Xinjiang and Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. This is its consistent policy, but such political maneuvers are in clear contrast with China's policies of building textile and cotton factories in Xinjiang to improve local living standards, Tian Yun, vice director of the Beijing Economic Operation Association, told the Global Times. 

US potential ban on the imports of cotton products from Xinjiang is nothing but a malicious move by the Trump administration to smear and suppress China, experts noted. The ban, under the guise of penalties for alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang, disregards local people's demands and rights to seek livelihood improvements. It is a genuine infringement of local people's human rights, experts said. 

"The Trump administration wants to cater to conservative voters, shaping its image as a 'human rights defender,'" Zhang Tengjun, an assistant research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times. Zhang stressed that the accusation of so-called forced labor, which runs totally counter to the fact, is just an excuse by the US to impose various bans or sanctions on China. 

"It's considered a master key," said Zhang. 

Statistics show that 24 percent of US cotton product imports are from China in 2019 while in 2018, about 18 percent of China's textile and clothes exports are to the US. Xinjiang's cotton production and spinning industry account for 85 and 13 percent of China's total, respectively. 

"For the US, the ban is considered as a powerful tool, because it can force garment and clothing companies to shift their orders from China," Zhang said. September is the beginning of the harvest time for cotton, and the US chooses this timing as it wants to hit China's cotton exports to the most extent, Zhang noted. 

Zhang said it remains to be seen about the influence of the potential ban on China, as details of the ban have not been announced yet. Industry insiders who are not optimistic suggest Chinese companies in the cotton industry pay more attention on developing the domestic market and try to expand exports to other markets such as Central Asian countries.