BEIJING (dpa-AFX) - A congressional report has revealed major gaps in U.S. automakers' oversight of forced labor in their supply chains, including two companies that shipped cars or parts to the United States this year that were made with parts from a banned Chinese supplier.
BMW imported cars, Jaguar Land Rover imported parts, and Volkswagen AG manufactured cars that included components made by Chinese firm Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group, which is banned for using Uyghur forced labor.
'Automakers are sticking their heads in the sand and then swearing they can't find any forced labor in their supply chains,' Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.
'Automakers' self-policing is clearly not doing the job. I'm calling on Customs and Border Protection to take a number of specific steps to supercharge enforcement and crack down on companies that fuel the shameful use of forced labor in China.'
The report, titled 'Insufficient Diligence: Car Makers Complicit with CCP Forced Labor,' was published after a two-year investigation by Wyden's staff.
Importing goods made with forced labor in facilities in Xinjiang to the United States is illegal under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
In January, Volkswagen had disclosed that a shipment of its vehicles bound for the U.S. market included parts made with a supplier banned by the U.S. government under UFLPA.
Senate Finance Committee staff discovered that BMW imported thousands of vehicles to the United States, which included parts banned under UFLPA.
Auto companies initially denied using banned components and reversed course after repeated questions from Committee Staff.
BMW disclosed that at least 8,000 Mini Cooper cars containing JWD components had been shipped to the United States.
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