BASF withdraws from two joint ventures in China over allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

Nevertheless, it took this decision under intense political scrutiny over its activities in China’s far western region.

The company said the sale was “subject to negotiations and the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities” and that its China operations “otherwise remain unchanged and the company remains fully committed to its operations and planned investments in China.” “I’m here,” he added.

BASF announced the move after a joint investigation published last week in German media outlets ZDF and Der Spiegel revealed that its joint venture partner Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry had accompanied Chinese government officials on a visit. It was under pressure campaign to withdraw from Xinjiang. A Uyghur employee’s home.

The visits are part of a national campaign that human rights groups have criticized as a way to spy on the Uyghurs, who made up 45% of Xinjiang’s total population as of 2021, according to local government statistics.

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After the report was released last week, a group of 30 MPs sent a letter to the company calling on it to leave the area immediately.

“The report demonstrates the shocking extent to which your company appears to be involved in significant abuses against Uyghurs and other predominantly Turkish ethnic minorities in the region,” the letter said. It was later signed by additional members of the European Parliament.

“As champions of corporate responsibility, human rights, due diligence and respect for fundamental rights, we urge BASF to withdraw from Xinjiang.

“The credibility and integrity of your company is at stake and we believe it is important that you take swift and decisive action to address this issue,” it added.

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“We hope that BASF will take this issue seriously and prioritize the welfare of the people of Xinjiang, who are suffering severely under repressive and discriminatory policies.”

The German company is a prominent investor in China and the Xinjiang region in particular, and its presence has come under intense media and political scrutiny in recent years.

The recent report is based on research by German anthropologist Adrian Zenz, who has been widely cited by Western governments and the media. Allegations of systematic detention, confinement and forced labor among the Uyghur minority and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang have grown in recent years.