Rubio Asks Volkswagen Chairman About Forced Labor in Congo, China
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., asked the chairman of the board of Volkswagen to justify joint ventures with Chinese companies, arguing that they are involved in child forced labor in Congolese cobalt mines, and the destruction of rainforest habitat in Indonesia. He also referred to a two-year-old non-governmental organization's report that said Highbroad Advanced Material Co. accepts transferred Uyghur labor, and that the company sells to Volkswagen for its electronic displays, and said that the two companies that are now in joint ventures are also implicated in Uyghur forced labor. He said Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group "are implicated in grotesque human rights abuses." Rubio announced the letter on April 28 in a press release.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
He asked: "Are you aware that Huayou and Tsingshan are implicated in the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, responsible for forced labor and trafficking of children in the DRC, and the destruction of critical rainforest habitat in Indonesia? Are you aware that, by participating in a joint venture with Huayou, which is responsible for the forced labor of trafficked children in its DRC cobalt mines, you may have made Volkswagen legally liable for human trafficking offenses pursuant to the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (18 U.S.C. § 1595 et. seq.)? Has the Volkswagen factory in Urumqi, XUAR ever utilized slave labor? Does Volkswagen have plans to close its factory in Urumqi?" Volkswagen didn't immediately comment.