Press Release – For immediate Release
13 July 2023
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

Today, the German government presented its long-awaited China strategy, which still has to be approved by the German parliament. The strategy is intended to redefine Germany’s relationship with China and clarify its dealings with the country more clearly. In it, the German government pledges to uphold human rights and supports a ban on products made from Uyghur forced labor at the EU policy level.

“Given the ongoing genocide against the Uyghurs and other Turkic people, we welcome that Germany is redefining its relationship with China. However, compared to the draft made public last November, we see a significant softening of criticism of Chinese human rights violations,” says WUC President Dolkun Isa.

The China strategy does mention “serious human rights violations” against Uyghurs, but passages relating to the “omnipresent data collection” and the acute threats to the cultural development and identity of ethnic groups, which were in the Foreign Ministry’s draft, were deleted. The German government also fails to adequately refer to the OHCHR report on the human rights situation of the Uyghurs, published on August 31, 2022. According to this report, the Chinese government may be committing crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

“We welcome that the German government addresses the issue of forced labor and supports the EU regulation for a ban on products from forced labor. The Chinese government deliberately uses forced labor in its genocidal campaign against Uyghurs and other Turkic people. In particular, the supply chains of German companies, such as car manufacturers Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes Benz, are tainted with Uighur forced labor. Efficient measures must be taken swiftly to prevent Uyghur forced labor in German supply chains,” urges WUC President Dolkun Isa.

Uyghurs in Germany are particularly affected by the Chinese government’s intimidation tactics and deliberate attempts to silence them. It is, therefore, an important step that the German government seeks dialogue with the Uyghur diaspora and advocates for establishing safe spaces.

The China Strategy presented today is an important first step in countering the massive human rights violations committed by the Chinese government. Through implementation, the German government must demonstrate that its commitment to human rights in China is followed by meaningful action. It must advocate for the effective implementation of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act so that German companies no longer become beneficiaries of Uyghur forced labor. In addition, the German government should work at the multilateral level to ensure that the Chinese government is held accountable for the genocide of the Uyghurs and other Turkic people in the region.