Shares of Fast Retailing declined as much as 4.5%, the most since Sept. 30, after a spokesperson said the company is concerned about Chinese demand following comments from its chairman that the retailer is not using cotton from Xinjiang.

We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Fast Retailing's chief executive Tadashi Yanai, who had been silent for years over the procurement of cotton from the northwestern Chinese region ...

Chairman Tadashi Yanai said in BBC interview published this week that Uniqlo doesn’t source cotton from that region of China’s far west, where the US has restricted trade.

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

People shop at a retail store of Uniqlo in east China's Shanghai, Aug. 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) China on Friday called on relevant company to reject political pressure and make

Fast Retailing Co., owner of the Uniqlo apparel chain, is closely monitoring to see if Chinese demand for its products is affected by Chairman Tadashi Yanai’s reported comment that the company isn’t using cotton from Xinjiang.

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.

China is a crucial market for Uniqlo not just for customers but also as a major manufacturing hub. Xinjiang cotton was once known as some of the best fabric in the world. But it has fallen out of favour after revelations that it is produced using forced labour by people from the Muslim Uyghur minority.