Volkswagen According to a media report, is once again faced with allegations of forced labor by Uyghurs in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang. Forced laborers are said to have been used to build a VW test track in Turpan, as the “Handelsblatt” reported on Wednesday
. The paper relies on statements by Adrian Zenz (50), a human rights activist in… China specialized scientists.
“On the website of the companies that built the VW-Saic test track there is clear evidence that Uyghur forced laborers were used in the construction phase, who were hired through worker transfer programs and so-called poverty alleviation measures,” said Zenz, who in the USA works at a foundation for victims of communism. There were measures to control and suppress Uyghurs during the construction of the test track.
Volkswagen did not initially comment when asked. A VW spokesman told Handelsblatt that the company had no information about human rights violations in the project, but wanted to investigate.
That is why the German car manufacturer is now examining a realignment of its activities in the Chinese region. “The Volkswagen Group is currently in discussions with the non-controlled Saic-Volkswagen joint venture about the future direction of business activities in the Xinjiang province,” a company spokesman told the German Press Agency on Wednesday. “Various scenarios are currently being intensively examined.” When asked, the spokesman left it open whether a withdrawal from Xinjiang was also under discussion. There is no comment on the content of the ongoing discussions.
No evidence of forced labor according to an investigation last year
The VW Urumqi location, which opened in 2013, has long been criticized for possible human rights violations in the province inhabited by Uighurs. In the summer, the car company commissioned a company to examine the working conditions at the controversial plant in Xinjiang for human rights violations. The auditors announced in December that they had no evidence or evidence of forced labor among employees can find.
VW had previously pointed out that the Urumqi plant in Xinjiang was a joint venture with the Chinese partner Saic, in which the partner had the majority control. The contract actually runs until 2029.
Less than 200 employees in the factory
According to previous VW information, the Urumqi location only has around 197 employees who only prepare vehicles for delivery. Car production has now stopped at the site and the number of employees has been reduced from 650 to under 200.
Most recently, at the beginning of February, Volkswagen said that it was taking its responsibility as a company in the area of human rights very seriously worldwide – including in China. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are adhered to closely.
Uighurs, members of other minorities and human rights organizations have been reporting for years that hundreds of thousands of people in Xinjiang are being put into re-education camps against their will, in some cases tortured and forced into forced labor. The Chinese government denies these allegations.