The big-box giant is the latest company in the crosshairs of Chinese social media users and officials.
Summary
- People purchase at the Sam’s Club flagship store at the Waigaoqiao New Development Zone on September 26, 2021 in Shanghai, China.
- China’s anti-graft agency on Friday accused U.S. retail giant Walmart and its Sam’s Club chain of “stupidity and shorted-sightedness” after Chinese news outlets reported Sam’s Club had removed Xinjiang-sourced products from stores.
- Neither Walmart nor Sam’s Club has made public statements on the backlash against them in China, and Walmart did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
- The ruling Communist Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) accused Sam’s Club of boycotting Xinjiang products and trying to “muddle through” the controversy by remaining silent.
- Of 423 retail units Walmart operates in China, 36 are Sam’s Club stores, according to its website.