The U.S. and China are two of the world’s biggest cotton producers. In 2021, President Biden signed a law banning many cotton imports from China out of concerns that most of the crop is grown and harvested by forced labor in Xinjiang. But industry experts say much of that cotton is still entering the U.S. as the chemical component and DNA of the cotton is being tested to validate supply chains.

WSJ explains how the U.S.’s effort to stamp out forced labor has affected the cotton market and unpacks the complexity of the supply chain to explain why the U.S. is struggling so hard to compete against Beijing.

0:00 The cotton situation
1:21 Cotton processing
2:42 Finished goods
4:31 Verification
7:12 What’s next?

U.S. vs. China
This original video series explores the rivalry between the two superpowers’ competing efforts to develop the technologies that are reshaping our world.

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