The Xinjiang region of China has become an increasingly tense topic for both world leaders and international businesses.
Over a million Uyghur Muslims have reportedly beendetained in “reeducation” labor campswithin the territory.
Kodakhas become the latest company to navigate the quagmire of expectations set by the West and China.
Swedish company H&Msaw its sales drop in Chinaafter it spoke out against using cotton from the region.
“Don’t buy Kodak,” one post read.
“Kodak supports the works of photographers who deliberately smear China’s suppression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.”
The response from Chinese officials is unclear, but Chinese state-owned publications ran stories critical of Kodak.
Kodak was more deferential in a separate statement it released on Chinese social media platform WeChat.
Abuses of Xinjiang’s Uyghur population have been increasingly publicized over the past few years.
The state has beenaccused of using IUDs, birth control and sterilizationto cut down the birth rate.
In January the US State Departmentdeclared China’s treatment of Uyghur’s “genocide.”
“On the one hand, most companies will obediently submit in the short run.
Kodak didn’t immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
