Uyghur Community: Senate looks into major manufacturers’ alleged involvement with Uyghur forced labor in China 2023.

The Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang have been victims of alleged genocide and crimes against humanity committed by the Chinese government.

Following a study connecting their supply networks to the use of Uyghur forced labor for automotive components built in China, a Senate committee is looking into several significant automakers. In northwest China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Uyghurs comprise a minority Muslim group.

Ron Wyden, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee and a Democrat from Oregon wrote to eight major automakers asking for additional information about their supply chains and the risk of forced labor in importing parts like batteries, wiring, and wheels. Ford, General Motors, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis (which comprises brands including Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep), Tesla, Toyota, and Volkswagen are among the companies that Wyden approached.

“Automakers cannot and should not sell automobiles in the United States that involve components mined or produced in Xinjiang,” Wyden wrote. “Unless due diligence proves such components are not tied to forced labor.” The United States sees the severe persecution of Uyghurs by the Chinese government in Xinjiang as an “ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity.”

By requesting a response by January 13, 2023, Wyden’s letters to the eight automakers suggest the topic would be a priority for the panel once the next Congress convenes on January 3.

“Huge and growing linkages.”

The investigation by the Senate Finance Committee comes in response to a study by the Sheffield Hallam University’s Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice that revealed various automakers have connections to Chinese firms doing business in Xinjiang.

The in-depth study, which took six months to complete, discovered “huge and growing ties between western automobile brands and Uyghur abuses, in everything from the hood decals and car frames to engine casings, interiors, and electronics.”

The report advises automakers to remove their supply chains from areas where Uyghurs are oppressed, map their supply chains to identify any instances of forced labor, stop sourcing materials from Xinjiang, and publicly announce their decisions to sever business ties due to forced labor concerns to raise awareness of the issues among other industry players.

Auto manufacturers react

Several manufacturers have responded to claims that Uyghur forced labor is used in their supply lines.

Mercedes-Benz assured the group of investigators from the Sheffield Hallam University’s Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice that the company would look into the issues brought up. The business requested compliance from its suppliers with its social responsibility and human rights principles.

Volkswagen notified the researchers that it had not discovered proof that workers at the Xinjiang facility it uses through a joint venture are being coerced into doing so and that it is unaware of any instances in which Uyghur workers have been or are being held in internment camps.

Honda gave the following comment to FOX Business: “Regarding labor, Honda requires its suppliers to adhere to our global sustainability guidelines. This further solidifies the global coordination of the assurance of supplier ESG compliance. Honda will collaborate with lawmakers on these crucial matters, as it does with other requests from Capitol Hill.”

General Motors informed the Wall Street Journal that it forbids forced labor and the mistreatment of workers in its supply chain. Stellantis reacted by saying that it is looking into the report’s allegations.

Before the deadline for this story, Fox Business reached out to Telsa, Toyota, and Ford for comment.

Act Prohibiting Forced Labor in Uyghur

Wyden questioned the automakers in his letters about if they had traced their supply chains and those of their sub-suppliers to see if the mining, processing, and parts utilized were connected to Xinjiang. He also asked if U.S. Customs and Border Protection had ever detained, excluded, or seized items from those automakers by the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA).

In December 2021, President Joe Biden signed the UFLPA into law after it received bipartisan approval in Congress. It created a rebuttable presumption that any products manufactured in Xinjiang are made using forced labor and prohibited from being imported. The clause “protects American firms and consumers from unintentionally supporting human rights violations overseas,” according to Wyden’s letters.

According to the legislation, upon examination by Customs and Border Protection, commodities from businesses subject to Withhold Release Orders must be seized (CBP). Since the legislation took effect, CBP has intercepted shipments of items that they suspect were connected to Chinese businesses utilizing Uyghur forced labor.

Wyden questioned the automakers in his letters about if they had traced their supply chains and those of their sub-suppliers to see if the mining, processing, and parts utilized were connected to Xinjiang. He also asked if U.S. Customs and Border Protection had ever detained, excluded, or seized items from those automakers by the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act (UFLPA).

In December 2021, President Joe Biden signed the UFLPA into law after it received bipartisan approval in Congress. It created a rebuttable presumption that any products manufactured in Xinjiang are made using forced labor and prohibited from being imported. The clause “protects American firms and consumers from unintentionally supporting human rights violations overseas,” according to Wyden’s letters.

According to the legislation, upon examination by Customs and Border Protection, commodities from businesses subject to Withhold Release Orders must be seized (CBP). Since the legislation took effect, CBP has intercepted shipments of items that they suspect were connected to Chinese businesses utilizing Uyghur forced labor.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo referred to the alleged crimes against humanity as a “genocide” in the last days of the Trump administration, and new Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed this during his confirmation hearings before the Senate. Many nations, including the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and others, have taken action to denounce China for its Xinjiang genocide and crimes against humanity.

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