Washington: A US Labor Department official has called on international companies to cease operations in Xinjiang, citing grave concerns over forced labor practices in the western Chinese region.
The US government has accused Chinese authorities of perpetrating genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. Concurrently, human rights organizations have been pressuring Western companies operating in the region to conduct thorough audits of their operations to address forced labor concerns.
China vehemently denies these allegations of abuses.
During a US congressional hearing, Thea Lee, deputy undersecretary for international affairs at the Labor Department, emphasized that Beijing has effectively prohibited independent human rights audits in Xinjiang. Lee stressed that if conducting such audits is impossible, the only responsible course of action for companies is to withdraw from the region.
China’s embassy in Washington dismissed allegations of forced labor as “nothing but a lie concocted by the US side.”
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Chinese officials have acknowledged the existence of “vocational training centers” in Xinjiang, which they claim are aimed at combating terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism. They assert that the “Sinicisation” of Islam in China is inevitable.
In response to mounting pressure, German chemicals giant BASF announced plans to divest its stakes in two joint ventures in Xinjiang, citing documented abuses, including forced labor in detention camps. Similarly, Volkswagen has initiated discussions with its joint venture partner in China regarding the future of its business activities in the region.
Since 2017, Beijing has implemented a stringent security crackdown in Xinjiang. While some experts suggest that mass internment of Uyghurs peaked in 2018, reports indicate that abuses, particularly involving labor transfers, persist.
Despite allegations of human rights abuses, Xinjiang remains a vital industrial center for China, contributing significantly to global supply chains in industries such as aluminum processing, automotive parts manufacturing, and solar component production.
In an effort to address China’s Xinjiang policies, the US Congress has passed legislation such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention
