China on Thursday warned companies not to be “blind by lies” about their rights records in Xinjiang, after German carmaker Volkswagen said it was discussing the future of its operations in the troubled region. I called out.
Rights activists have long accused the Chinese government of repressing Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, including through forced labor and concentration camps.
The Chinese government denies the abuse allegations and says its actions in Xinjiang are helping to fight extremism and promote development.
German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported this week that forced labor may have been used to build a VW test track in Turpan, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in 2019.
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VW said Wednesday it had seen no evidence of human rights violations related to the project, but vowed to investigate if new information comes to light.
In a statement sent to AFP, China’s Foreign Ministry said the allegations of abuses in the region were “utter lies fabricated with the aim of destabilizing Xinjiang.”
He called on companies to “respect the facts, distinguish between right and wrong, and not be misled by lies.”
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In a clear sign of growing pressure on VW over its presence in the region, the company this week held talks with Chinese joint venture partner SAIC “on the future direction of its business activities in Xinjiang.” It was announced that
“We are currently intensively considering various scenarios,” VW said in a statement.
The Chinese government said on Thursday that “the human rights of people of all ethnicities in Xinjiang will be protected to the utmost.”
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It added that the claims of rights violations in the northwest region are aimed at “damaging China’s credibility and suppressing it.”
“Xinjiang currently enjoys social stability, economic development, ethnic unity, and religious harmony,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The Chinese government is accused of imprisoning more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities across the Xinjiang region.
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Activists and Uyghurs abroad say a variety of abuses take place inside the facilities, including torture, forced labor, forced sterilization and political indoctrination.
A 2022 UN report details “credible” evidence of torture, forced medical care, sexual and gender-based violence, and even forced labor in the region.
However, he stopped short of labeling the Chinese government’s actions as “genocide,” as the United States and some Western lawmakers have done.
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There are growing calls for Volkswagen to reconsider its operations in Xinjiang after German chemical giant BASF announced last week that it would accelerate its exit from two joint ventures in the region.
Xinjiang is home to many factories that supply products to multinational companies, including famous Western brands.
VW has been under intense scrutiny for years over its Urumqi factory, which opened in 2013 and in which it has a stake through its partner SAIC.
An external audit commissioned by VW last year found no evidence of forced labor among the plant’s 197 employees.
However, the consultancy that prepared the report acknowledged “challenges in collecting data” for audits in China.
The Turpan test course was not subject to the audit.
Bar Ojo/SMW