Volkswagen in talks with Chinese partner over alleged rights violations Xinjiang

 

FRANKFURT – German carmaker Volkswagen is reorganizing its activities in the Chinese region of Xinjiang in light of possible human rights violations.

“The Volkswagen Group is currently in talks with the non-controlled joint venture Saic-Volkswagen about the future direction of its business activities in Xinjiang province,” a company spokesman told dpa on Wednesday.

“Various scenarios are currently being intensively examined.”

The talks follow a recent announcement by German chemical giant BASF that it will sell its shares in two joint ventures in China following reports of possible human rights violations at the plants targeting the Muslim Uyghur minority.

Several politicians then called on Volkswagen to do the same.

In response to a question, the Volkswagen spokesman left open whether a withdrawal from the region was also under discussion. He would not comment on the content of the ongoing talks.

The VW site in Urumqi, which opened in 2013, has been criticized for possible human rights violations in the province inhabited by Uyghurs.

In the summer, the car manufacturer commissioned a company to investigate the working conditions at the controversial plant in Xinjiang for human rights violations.

The auditors announced in December that they had found no evidence or proof of forced labour among the employees.

VW had previously pointed out that the Urumqi plant in Xinjiang was a joint venture with the Chinese partner Saic, in which the partner had the controlling majority. The contract actually runs until 2029.