Press Release – For Immediate Release 
14 February 2024 
Contact: World Uyghur Congress www.uyghurcongress.org
+49 89 5432 1999 or [email protected]

On February 14, new research by Adrian Zenz, Director and Senior Fellow in China Studies at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, revealed that the German car manufacturer Volkswagen has been directly involved in the forced labour transfer of Uyghurs. 

“The recent revelations about Volkswagen’s involvement in Uyghur forced labour should serve as a turning-point for VW to finally exit East Turkistan,” said WUC President, Dolkun Isa. “VW has long enough avoided responsibility for its complicity in the human rights abuses of Uyghurs.”

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.

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. 

“It is unacceptable that a globally recognized company like VW has been implicated in such practices. For a company operating in a democratic state and operating under the framework of progressive supply chain laws, Volkswagen’s behaviour is not only unacceptable but also shameful. It is time for VW to fully take responsibility for its actions,” stressed WUC Berlin-Director, Haiyuer Kuerban.

The WUC reiterates its calls on Volkswagen to withdraw from East Turkistan. This is the only possible way to guarantee that Volkswagen is not complicit with the state-imposed forced labour scheme of the Chinese government. We urge Volkswagen to no longer turn a blind eye to the truth. It’s long overdue for transparent, sincere actions and a thorough review of corporate policies. VW must finally address the allegations and take tangible steps to end its complicity in the Uyghur genocide.