Recently, Intel was exposed to prohibit its suppliers from using products from Xinjiang, causing an uproar.
On December 23, Intel China apologized on social media for its Xinjiang-related remarks. In a public statement, Intel said it had great respect for China, expressed deep regret that the matter had "aroused many questions and concerns," and claimed that the paragraphs on Xinjiang in the letter to the supplier were only intended to express compliance and legality, not their intention or position.
Intel added in a statement: "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to our esteemed Chinese customers, partners, and the public." ”
Subsequently, the #Intel Apology # topic word appeared on the first hot search. Many netizens have not bought it, saying that they are "fooling people", "eating and smashing pots", and "Intel is abiding by US laws and making Chinese money".
On the afternoon of the 23rd, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in response to relevant inquiries at a regular press conference that we have noted the relevant statements and hope that relevant enterprises can respect the facts and distinguish between right and wrong. Zhao Lijian said: We have stressed many times that the allegations about forced labor in Xinjiang are complete lies concocted by the anti-China forces in the United States in order to smear China's image, undermine Xinjiang's stability, and hinder China's development. The people of Xinjiang are industrious and brave, the quality of Xinjiang products is excellent, and if individual enterprises choose not to use them, it is also their loss.
According to previous reports, Intel issued a letter to the supplier in December this year in Chinese, English, Japanese and other text versions. "Intel needs to ensure that our supply chain does not use any labor, procurement products or services from the Xinjiang region," the letter said. This immediately triggered a wave of criticism from public opinion.
On the evening of December 22, artist Wang Junkai Studio announced that Wang Junkai terminated all cooperative relations with the Intel brand.
In this regard, Xiang Ligang, an observer in the communications industry, said that some Western politicians, especially US politicians, clamor for so-called "forced labor", which is essentially interfering in China's internal affairs under the guise of human rights. Intel is partial to such remarks, in fact, looking at the eyes of the US government, the purpose may be to exchange for the support of the US government elsewhere.
But it is worth noting that Intel is highly dependent on the Chinese market. Since 2015, China has been Intel's largest source of revenue for six consecutive years. From 2018 to 2020, Intel in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) was $29.47 billion, $30.084 billion, and $31.862 billion, accounting for about 41.6%, 41.8%, and 40.92% of the total revenue. In the past three years, more than 40% of the revenue has come from China, with a total of US$91.416 billion (about 582.3 billion yuan).
Xiang Ligang believes that for multinational companies, bearing and balancing pressure from all sides is the basic skill. "Political pressure" cannot be used as an excuse to hurt the feelings of Chinese people. Therefore, in the coming period, Intel's business in China is bound to be affected.
(Look at the news Knows reporter Fang Feifei)