LONDON (Reuters) - A Shein representative declined to provide a direct answer when asked by a British parliamentary committee on Tuesday whether the online fast-fashion retailer uses cotton from China in its products.

It was the first opportunity for British lawmakers to publicly question the company which is working towards an initial public offering in London.

Shein's general counsel for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Yinan Zhu, said: "The suppliers we work with, they are based in China, in Turkey and Brazil, and obviously many of them are in China."

"With due respect, may I please ask for permission to be able to write to you about further questions you may have," she said, when pressed further on whether the company sources cotton from China.

Asked about the IPO, Zhu said she was not able to comment.

Growing visibly exasperated, the chair of the committee Liam Byrne said: "You can't tell us anything about listing, you can't tell us anything about cotton in Shein products, and you can't tell us much, in fact."

Shein, which sources most of its products in China, has faced allegations that its products contain cotton from China's Xinjiang region, where the U.S. and NGOs have long accused China of human rights abuses.

Shein has previously said it requires contract manufacturers to only source cotton from approved regions, and that it has a zero-tolerance policy for forced labour.