Retailers have hit back at French authorities for initiating a probe into the activities of four fashion companies in China's Xinjiang region. French authorities opened probe after complaints from the European Uyghur Institute and other pressure groups that the retailers were profiting from the use of forced labor.

Refuting the allegations, Zara owner Inditex said it fully complies with all existing legislation and recommendations regarding the protection of workers' rights. The company says it has implemented a human rights compliance framework "based on the highest international standards." Uniqlo's parent company, Tokyo-based Fast Retailing, said it has conducted audits to ensure no human rights violation in their supply chain and add that none of their production partners are located in Xinjiang.

French textile firm SMCP also said it conducts regular audits and does not have "direct suppliers in the region mentioned in the press." But Sophie Richardson, Director-China, Human Rights Watch said, while international firms may conduct audits that do not find evidence of forced labor in supply chains, political repression in the Xinjiang region is so pervasive that labor inspectors cannot interview workers freely without fear of reprisals.

She said inspectors cannot visit facilities without advance warning, and they cannot compel regional authorities to provide essential information about hours, pay, or other key labor conditions.