IPAC Statement on Volkswagen Joint Venture in Xinjiang

September 20, 2024
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We, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, are dismayed by the contents of a leaked audit of Volkswagen’s joint venture in Xinjiang. 

The report finds that the factory promoted “ethnic unity” - the policy rubric under which the Chinese Communist Party’s assimilationist policies have been imposed upon Uyghurs and other minorities. 

It is also alleged that Volkswagen misled the public and its shareholders by claiming to have conducted appropriate supply chain due diligence, and potentially exposed employees to state surveillance. 

It is totally unacceptable for a major company like Volkswagen to continue operating a factory where assimilationist policies are promoted, and unacceptable that claims were made about the integrity of their supply chain due-diligence which appear to be false. 

We call upon Volkswagen to withdraw from Xinjiang in recognition of the impossibility of meaningful human rights due diligence in the region - a fact long acknowledged by experts.

We demand an explanation from Volkswagen in response to these reports, and full transparency regarding this audit, together with an apology for failing to come clean earlier. 

We call upon MSCI to re-impose a red-flag notice on Volkswagen, until allegations surrounding the integrity of the audit are comprehensively and independently investigated.

Signed:

Sen. Claire Chandler, Australia 🇦🇺

Sen. Centa Rek, Bolivia 🇧🇴

Adi Kalem MP, 🇧🇦

Garnett Genuis MP, Canada 🇨🇦

Judy Sgro MP, Canada 🇨🇦

Rep. Eva Decroix, Czechia 🇨🇿

Sen. Pavel Fischer, Czechia 🇨🇿

Bernard Guetta MEP, European Union 🇪🇺

Miriam Lexmann MEP, European Union 🇪🇺

Sandro Gozi MEP, European Union 🇪🇺

Engin Eroglu MEP, European Union 🇪🇺

Dainius Žalimas MEP, European Union 🇪🇺

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Boris Mijatovic MdB, Germany 🇩🇪

Michael Brand MdB, Germany 🇩🇪

Frank Müller-Rosentritt MdB, Germany 🇩🇪

Sen. Giulio Terzi, Italy 🇮🇹

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Tom van der Lee MP, The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Jan Paternotte MP, The Netherlands 🇳🇱

Gury Melby MP, Norway 🇳🇴

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Cătălin Teniță MP, Romania 🇷🇴

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