World Uyghur Congress Urges Volkswagen to Exit East Turkistan

The recent evidence of VW’s complicity in the state-imposed forced labour transfer of Uyghurs shed a new light on VW’s involvement in East Turkistan. In the past, Volkswagen has continuously denied that Uyghur forced labour is present in its supply chains, and within its joint venture with the Chinese government company SAIC. Hiding behind a recent contentious audit of the plant, which revealed no evidence or proof of forced labour, Volkswagen continues to hold on to its presence in East Turkistan. The WUC and its partners have repeatedly expressed its concern that credible, and independent audits are not possible under the systematic repressive environment  in the region. 

According to Zenz’s research the joint venture of SAIC-VW had a test track built in Turpan by China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC)’s Fourth Bureau between 2015-2019. The construction of the track was carried out under the supervision of the Xinjiang Test Track Project (XTTP), a collaborative effort between SAIC-VW and CREC.  XTTP reports indicate the use of Uyghur surplus labour during the peak of mass interments in 2017-2018, as well as participation in government monitoring of Uyghur families and assimilation activities. Further evidence, including photos of Uyghur workers in military uniforms, have been published by Chinese media. During the start of the mass internment campaign by the Chinese government in 2017, the XTTP intensified its surveillance measures , including iris scans and cooperation with local authorities, whereas “targeted assistance” programs in 2018 aimed to alleviate poverty among Uyghur households, fostering a sense of “national unity.” XTTP staff also engaged in activities promoting “ethnic unity” in Uyghur schools. Following the dissolution of XTTP in 2019, management of the test track shifted to the SAIC-VW Test Center.