There is a new earthquake about to hit the world of cars: a report just published by Human Rights Watch, the non-profit organization based in the United States, which has linked some of the largest car manufacturers in the world to the 'aluminium, allegedly produced with forced labor by Uighurs (Muslim Turks) and other ethnic minorities in China's western Xinjiang region and other parts of the country.
Giants in the automotive world are under accusation: Tesla, General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota who are unable – according to Human Rights Watch – to guarantee that they do not use forced labor as part of their supply chains in China.
The report is a serious complaint: in 99 pages, “Asleep at the Wheel: Car Companies' Complicity in Forced Labor in China” (which we report here in full) it even explains that some automakers “have succumbed to pressure from the Chinese government to apply weaker human rights and responsible sourcing standards in their Chinese joint ventures than in their respective countries.” A highway of illegality to make room for forced labor. A particularly serious thing because car manufacturers have a precise responsibility under the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and have made official commitments to identify, prevent and mitigate the presence of forced labor and other human rights violations in their supply chains.
The problem, though, is this: “Auto companies simply don't know the extent of their ties to forced labor in Xinjiang in their aluminum supply chains,” said Jim Wormington, senior researcher and corporate responsibility advocate at Human Rights Watch. “Consumers should be aware that their cars may contain materials related to forced labor or other abuses in Xinjiang.”
Yes, because China is accused of carrying out labor transfer programs in which Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities are forced to work in factories as part of a long campaign of assimilation and mass detention. This is supported by a 2022 United Nations report that found that China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, where more than 1 million Uyghurs are estimated to have been arbitrarily detained as part of measures that the Chinese government says they were intended to target terrorism and separatism.
But let's go back to the report “Asleep at the Wheel: Car Companies' Complicity in Forced Labor in China” that links aluminum – a material used everywhere on modern cars – to labor transfer programs, where workers face ideological indoctrination and freedom limited movement. The report is based on company statements, Chinese government documents and previous research by Human Rights Watch and other organizations. A precise accusation therefore.
And it seems of little help that from 2022, the United States will require importers of all goods produced in Xinjiang to demonstrate that their products were not made with forced labor: according to a Human Rights Watch report , when it comes to aluminum from Xinjiang, its origins are difficult to trace, especially when it is shipped to other parts of China and processed into alloys.
And let's not talk about a small thing because more than 15% of China's aluminum supply and about 9% of global supply originate from factories in Xinjiang. And it's just the beginning because according to the International Aluminum Institute, a UK-based industry group, global demand for aluminum is expected to double between 2019 and 2050, partly due to the growing popularity of electric vehicles.
“China is a dominant player in the global auto industry, and governments must ensure that companies that build cars or buy components in China are not tainted by government repression in Xinjiang,” said Jim Wormington, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Doing business in China should not mean having to resort to or benefit from forced labor.”
How do car manufacturers respond to such serious accusations? Toyota has officially said it will carefully review the Human Rights Watch report. The company added that “respect for human rights” is part of its core values. “We expect – they explain – that our suppliers will follow our example towards respect and non-violation of human rights”.
Volkswagen instead said it has a risk management system for due diligence in the procurement of raw materials and that it engages its Chinese suppliers directly. He added that the company will immediately investigate any allegations of forced labor and is seeking new solutions to prevent it in its supply chains. And that an audit they commissioned last year found no signs of forced labor at the Xinjiang plant where they operate a plant in Xinjiang as part of a joint venture with Saic Motors, the state-owned Chinese automaker.
No response however from General Motors and BYD, while Tesla, which owns a factory in Shanghai where it builds cars for both the Chinese and international markets, told Human Rights Watch that it had traced its supply chain down to the mining level and that they found no evidence of forced labor. However, Tesla did not specify how much of its aluminum comes from unknown sources and may be linked to Xinjiang.
Meanwhile, to understand the climate in those parts, just last week the Xinjiang government issued stricter rules regulating religious expression, as part of a campaign to sinicize (the propaganda process, media, military and cultural through which territories of other ethnic groups become Chinese) the area. New rules have arrived that tighten controls on religious schools, which must be approved by the government, and require that Muslims can only make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as part of a group organized by the official Islamic Association of China. With such limitations on freedom it becomes difficult to talk about human rights.
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