German firm BASF to pull out of Xinjiang after Uyghur abuse claims

Source: The Guardian

German firm BASF to pull out of Xinjiang after Uyghur abuse claims

Chemicals producer says audits revealed no wrongdoing but recent media reports crossed red line

Amy Hawkins
@amyhawk_
Fri 9 Feb 2024 20.07 GMT
Last modified on Fri 9 Feb 2024 21.12 GMT

The German chemicals producer BASF has said it will withdraw from its two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after media reports about alleged human rights abuses relating to its partner company, which BASF’s CEO said crossed a red line.

In a statement on Friday, BASF said that while “regular due diligence measures including internal and external audits have not found any evidence of human rights violations in the two joint ventures”, the recent reports “indicate activities inconsistent with BASF’s values”.

On Monday, a group of politicians from around the world urged BASF to withdraw from Xinjiang, a region in north-west China where there are widespread reports of state-sponsored human rights abuses.

The politicians’ letter followed reports in German media that people employed by BASF’s Chinese partner company, Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry, also known as Markor Chemical, accompanied Chinese state officials on home visits to Uyghur households as part of a government initiative that human rights groups have said is used to spy on people and indoctrinate them.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/09/german-firm-basf-to-pull-out-of-xinjiang-after-uyghur-abuse-claims