Thousands of Porsche, Bentley and Audi cars have been impounded in US ports after a supplier to parent group Volkswagen found a Chinese subcomponent in the vehicles that breached anti-forced labour laws.
According to two people with knowledge of the matter, the carmaker has delayed delivery of the vehicles until as late as the end of March as it replaces an electronic component that was found to have come from “western China”.
The people stressed that VW was not aware of the origin of the part, which was sourced by an indirect supplier further down its supply chain, until the supplier alerted it to the issue.
They added that VW notified US authorities as soon as it was made aware of the part’s origin.
The issue affects about 1,000 Porsche sports cars and SUVs, several hundred Bentleys, and several thousand Audi vehicles, according to people briefed on the details.
In a statement, VW said it “takes allegations of infringements of human rights very seriously, both within the company and in the supply chain” including “any allegations of forced labour”.
It added: “As soon as we received information of allegations regarding one of our sub-suppliers, we have been investigating the matter. We will clarify the facts and then take appropriate steps. These may also include the termination of a supplier relationship if our investigations confirm serious violations.”
@L3ftLeaningEddieDemocrat4mos4MO
If you want a region to stay destabilized, a great way would be by discouraging legitimate work opportunities in the area. Say, by applying sanctions via the presumption of guilt for any company that uses workers or infrastructure there. People that can't find jobs are more vulnerable to religious radicalization. Any rise in terror attacks provokes governmental response, which can be used as fuel for additional sanctions.
The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) are Uyghur Islamic extremist organizations. Its stated goals are to establish an Islamic sta… Read more
@ThrilledFr33m4rketSocialist4mos4MO
Forced labor is not a legitimate work opportunity, so everything that followed in your comment is irrelevant distraction.
@JellyfishKenRepublican4mos4MO
Except that the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), section 3a, creates a presumption that all articles (goods, merchandise and wares) from Xinjiang are made with forced labor. The onus is on the importer to prove otherwise.
As anyone who's been audited knows, proving a negative can be frustratingly difficult, if not impossible. Why deal with such onerous compliance costs? Better for most businesses to avoid the area entirely.
@LoyalWildfowlLibertarian4mos4MO
Assuming all of the US claim on Xinjiang is true(forced labor, concentration camp, etc), wouldn't a sanction on the entire region encourage the CCP to simply kill all the Uyghur instead? They now provide no value to the CCP and is a great risk if freed.
@TenaciousP0l1t1calGreen4mos4MO
It would not surprise me if CCP did that. They sent tanks to crush innocent protestors in Tiananmen Square and also starved millions during Mao's Great Famine. CCP cares only about feeding honey for themselves while they want the rest to eat bitterness.
@LegislationMikeRepublican4mos4MO
Better for most businesses to avoid China altogether. Why deal with an authoritarian CCP regime that caters to corrupt elites?
Volkswsgen has a lot of experience in labour camps.
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
@ISIDEWITH4mos4MO
