China Denies Report of Forced Labor Over Tesco Christmas Cards
- Supermarket says supplier will be dropped if accusations true
- Six-year-old girl found Chinese prison note in Christmas card
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U.K. retailer Tesco Plc’s suspension of a Chinese supplier over allegations that it used prison labor prompted an angry back-and-forth between China’s government and the former journalist who raised the concerns.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang denied that foreign prisoners in a Shanghai facility are forced to work, calling the allegations “a drama choreographed by” a former inmate. The comments, at a Monday press briefing, came after Tesco halted its supply of Christmas cards from a Chinese factory and said it was investigating a newspaper report that forced labor was used in their production.