Customer reaction

H&M has about 400 stores around China. On Thursday afternoon, few people were seen at one of the biggest H&M outlets — a three-story store in the popular Sanlitun shopping area in Beijing's Chaoyang district.

The majority of more than a dozen customers randomly interviewed by China Daily in Sanlitun were aware of the calls for boycotts.

Fu Dan, who works in the computer chip industry, said he totally supports the move to pull H&M products from e-commerce platforms.

"It's an insult to our nation, as they make a profit from us while boycotting cotton made in Xinjiang. That is unacceptable," the 29-year-old said. "We can substitute clothes and products, but our country is irreplaceable. We can buy domestic clothing brands in the future."

A 27-year-old accountant surnamed Zhang said the incident will affect people's consumption of products of related brands. "We shouldn't support companies that harm our country. I'll consider buying fewer shoes from Adidas or Nike," he said.

Shi Yi was among those shopping at the H&M store on Thursday afternoon. "When I studied in Australia, I often heard news with false information about China. The locals really fell for rumors like that. Foreign countries do have misunderstandings about China. But I may keep buying H&M clothes," the 20-year-old said.