Nike Navigates Controversy Once Again in All-Important China

Company caught up in potential boycott over cotton sourcing
Shares fall along with Hennes & Mauritz and Burberry

WATCH: Chinese consumers are being encouraged to boycott Western retailers after they voiced concerns about forced labor in Xinjiang. (Source: Bloomberg)

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By Matthew Townsend and Lisa Pham

March 25, 2021 at 2:02 PM UTC

Updated on

March 25, 2021 at 4:39 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Nike Inc. is walking a fine line in China -- its fastest-growing market -- amid a brewing controversy over its business practices there.

The ire stems from this conundrum: Embrace cotton from the contentious Xinjiang region, where there are allegations of forced labor, or reject it and risk a boycott in the world’s second-biggest economy.