New allegations against VW: forced laborers building test tracks in China?

There are new allegations against the VW Group for possible violations of human rights in China. According to research by Handelsblatt, Uyghur forced laborers could have been used to build a test track.

Forced labor may have been used to build a test track that Volkswagen uses in Xinjiang, China. This is what the Handelsblatt reports. The automotive company had the test track built in the city of Turpan in 2019 together with its local joint venture partner, the Chinese car manufacturer SAIC.

According to the report, Handelsblatt followed up on a tip from a VW employee and then evaluated the information together with scientist Adrian Zenz. Zenz has been researching the oppression of Uighurs in China for years. He concluded that Uyghur forced laborers were used to build the line. They were therefore exposed to the collection of biometric data, were indoctrinated and monitored.

Workers in military uniforms

This emerges from publicly available reports published by, among others, the Chinese state-owned company China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC), which built the test track for VW and the joint venture partner. State media published photos of workers in military drill uniforms.

According to Handelsblatt, VW said the company had no information about the allegations. However, new findings will be pursued.

Criticism of Volkswagen continues

Volkswagen has been criticized for years because of a plant in Xinjiang, which the group also operates with SAIC as a joint venture partner. An external investigation of the factory commissioned by VW revealed last year that no Uyghurs were being oppressed at the factory in the city of Ürümqi. However, the criticism of Volkswagen did not stop, and there were doubts about the investigation methods.

The communist leadership has been oppressing the Muslim-majority Uyghurs in Xinjiang for years, forcing them to give up their culture, language and religion. Human rights organizations and some governments speak of “cultural genocide.”

It was only on Friday that the chemical company BASF announced that it would be separating from its two joint ventures in Xinjiang. The media had previously reported that the chemical company’s Chinese partners were more involved in the repressive system than previously known.