China targets British officials and H&M after EU move on Xinjiang abuses

(Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

China has announced sanctions on British officials and also targeted Swedish clothing retailer H&M in a spiralling dispute over complaints of abuses in the Xinjiang region.

H&M products have been removed from major e-commerce platforms including Alibaba and JD.com following calls by state media for a boycott over the firm’s decision to stop buying cotton from Xinjiang. That damages H&M’s ability to reach customers in a country where more than a fifth of shopping is online.