CFU PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2026, 8:00 AM EST

Contact: contact@campaignforuyghurs.org    

https://campaignforuyghurs.org/ 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, drawing on information provided by Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU), The New York Times (NYT) reported on links between Pop Mart’s Labubu dolls and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) state-imposed Uyghur forced labor. China remains the world’s largest cotton producer, and over 90% of its cotton is produced in East Turkistan (AKA Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region), where the CCP perpetrates an ongoing genocide, as recognized by the U.S. government. 

“Credible evidence suggests that Pop Mart used Xinjiang Cotton linked to Uyghur forced labor for its products entering the U.S., one of its biggest markets, in a blatant disregard for U.S. law and international human rights order,” said Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of CFU.

Pop Mart, a Chinese toy company based in Beijing, gained significant popularity in the US and internationally for its collectible figure “Labubu” and other designer toy products. During this global attention, CFU received evidence from anonymous sources about Pop Mart’s use of cotton from the Uyghur region. After careful review, CFU made a submission to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Forced Labor Allegation Portal in August 2025 and worked closely with the NYT to expose Labubu’s link to Uyghur forced labor.

According to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), any goods produced wholly or in part using materials from the Uyghur region are presumed to be made with forced labor and are inadmissible into the United States. Despite this, Pop Mart has provided zero supply chain transparency, no traceability documentation, and no credible evidence of UFLPA compliance. 

The NYT reported that Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on China, called the situation “unsurprising and unacceptable,” while Representative Christopher H. Smith, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said Pop Mart must demonstrate that all dolls sold in the United States are free of slave labor. 

In 2021, Chinese state media hailed Pop Mart’s decision to cut ties with Adidas China after Adidas China pledged to stop using Xinjiang cotton. In the court case, Pop Mart claimed that Adidas China “baselessly smeared Xinjiang for violations of human rights, and seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people.” These statements suggest both a willingness and a clear intention to work with suppliers that source cotton from the Uyghur region.

“Labubu dolls sold in the United States may carry the fingerprint of the Uyghur genocide,” states Rushan Abbas. “Pop Mart is turning the suffering of the Uyghur people into a billion-dollar business. My sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, vanished into China’s prison system almost eight years ago in retaliation against my activism as an American Citizen. Gulshan could have picked the cotton that was used to stitch these dolls and delivered it to American consumers,” Abbas added. 

CFU calls on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to immediately add Pop Mart to the UFLPA Entity List, barring its products from entering the US until the company can produce a fully verified, transparent supply chain that is completely free of cotton from the Uyghur region and state-imposed Uyghur forced labor. CFU further calls on retailers, e-commerce platforms, and consumers to suspend purchases of Pop Mart products. The UFLPA exists precisely for cases like this. It is time to enforce it.