Volkswagen defends decision of operating Xinjiang plant, claims there's 'no forced labour'

German automaker Volkswagen has defended its decision of still operating its car plant in Xinjiang in China as some multinational companies cut ties due to allegations of large-scale human rights violations of Uighur Muslims in region by government. Even though critics have argued that it is company’s moral obligation to shut down its plant in Xinjiang, in an interview with BBC, Volkswagen CEO in China, Stephen Wollenstein has said that y “do not have forced labour.”

In remote area of China, German automaker runs a factory with nearly 600 workers and manufactures up to 20,000 vehicles every year. company’s CEO in China recalled that re was forced labour in its plants during Nazi times when Volkswagen was founded by ruling Germany Nazi Party in 1937. At time, company used prisoners from concentration camps in its factories while world was rocked in World War II. 

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Calling forced labour “unacceptable situation”, Wollenstein said that y are ensuring that none of sites has such practice. However, as per BBC, when he was asked about how certain he was about his claim of denying any such labour in workforce with at least 25% Uighurs and or minorities, company’s CEO in China said, “We could never reach 100% certainty.”

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United Nations (UN) has estimated that re are nearly one million Muslims who have been detained in Asian country’s remote region. Meanwhile, activists claim that several human rights violations are taking place in Xinjiang. But, China has categorically denied all allegations and claims that camps in area are set up to provide ‘vocational training’ to tackle extremism. 

H&M joins US, European countries' call to end 'forced Labour' 

Meanwhile, as United States banned five exports from China's Xinjiang region, Swedish clothing company H&M also decided not to buy raw materials from region’s farms and factories suspected of using ‘forced labour’. On September 15, fashion house said that it would no longer source cotton from Xinjiang, which is China’s largest growing area of cash crop. company clarified that it did not work with any garment factory in region. 

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As per reports, earlier in June US Customs and Border Protection said that it h detained a shipment originating in Xinjiang of hair products as well as accessories that are suspected of being forced-labour products me with human hair. At time, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo h also labelled reports of China using forced sterilization, abortion against Muslim minority as “shocking” and “disturbing”.

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