MK sport Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG" />

The Ministry of Commerce of China File photo: VCG

The Unreliable Entity List mechanism office planned to hold another consultation with US-based PVH Group recently, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday, responding to a question regarding the progress of investigation into PVH Group, which was initiated on September 24, 2024.

The Unreliable Entity List mechanism office is advancing its investigation into PVH in accordance with the law. It has been preliminarily determined that PVH has engaged in inappropriate Xinjiang-related actions. The final investigation results will be made public in accordance with the law, said the MOFCOM spokesperson.

"China has always dealt with the issue of the Unreliable Entity List in a prudent manner, targeting only a very small number of foreign entities that endanger our national security. Honest and law-abiding foreign entities have nothing to worry about," the spokesperson said.

As always, companies from all over the world are welcome to invest and do business in China, and the Chinese government is committed to providing a stable, fair and predictable business environment for law-abiding and compliant foreign enterprises, the MOFCOM spokesperson noted.

On October 24, 2024, He Yadong, a spokesperson for MOFCOM, said at a regular press conference that "during the investigation, we will fully protect the rights of the PVH Group to make statements or defenses. Later, the mechanism will make a corresponding decision based on the investigation findings in accordance with the provisions of the List."

The MOFCOM said in September that it will probe into PVH Group under the Unreliable Entity List framework for taking suspected discriminatory measures and other practices that violate market trading principles regarding China's Xinjiang-related products, read a notice published by the ministry.

The US company, which owns fashion brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, is suspected of boycotting cotton products from China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region without any factual basis and terminating normal transactions with Chinese companies as well as other organizations or individuals, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

China introduced the Unreliable Entity List system in September 2020 to protect its national interests and business environment, but it was not until February 2023 that the Chinese government first added foreign entities to the List.

Global Times