BMW, Jaguar and Volkswagen imported parts banned in Xinjiang – Senate investigation

BMW, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and Volkswagen (VW) used parts made by one of the suppliers on a list of companies banned due to their alleged links to forced labor in China, a US Congress report said.

“It’s clear that automakers’ self-policing is not doing the job,” the Democratic senator said.

Jaguar Land Rover told the BBC that it “takes human rights issues and forced labor very seriously and has an active and ongoing program of human rights protection and anti-slavery measures”.

BMW and VW did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Mr. Wyden also urged US Customs and Border Protection to “tighten enforcement and crack down on companies fueling the shameful use of forced labor in China.”

The report added that Jaguar Land Rover imported spare parts that included components from JWD after the company was included in the banned list.

JLR said it has now identified and is destroying any stock it holds around the world that contains this ingredient.

In February, Volkswagen said thousands of its cars, including Porsches and Bentleys, were impounded by authorities because they contained a component that violated America’s anti-forced labor laws.

The report said that Volkswagen voluntarily informed customs officials about the issue.

Congress passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) into law in 2021.

The legislation aims to prevent the import of goods from the northwestern Chinese region of Xinjiang that are believed to have been made by people from the Uyghur minority in forced labor conditions.

JWD was added to the UFLPA’s entity list in December 2023, meaning its products are supposedly manufactured using forced labor.

China has been accused of detaining more than a million Uighurs in Xinjiang against their will over the past few years.

The authorities have denied all allegations of human rights violations in Xinjiang.

“The so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Law by the United States is not about forced labor but about creating unemployment. It does not protect human rights, but, under the guise of human rights, it harms survival and employment rights,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin. For the people in Xinjiang.”

“China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this. We will take measures to resolutely protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies,” he added.