Walmart denies claims it pulled Xinjiang products as its Sam's Club arm comes under fire in China

US retail giant Walmart Inc arm Sam’s Club has denied claims in China that it deliberately removed Xinjiang-sourced products from its app. The controversy started in late December 2021 when some Chinese users posted on social media that they could not find Xinjiang-sourced products on the store’s online app. China’s anti-graft agency, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), accused the retailer of “stupidity and short-sightedness” over the matter, which emerged shortly after US President Joe Biden banned imports from Xinjiang on December 23, 2021. China has long been accused of imposing forced assimilation policies on its Uygur ethnic minority in Xinjiang, but has repeatedly denied the allegations and defended its policies in the region.