2024-02-16 13:44:30
Thousands of Porsche, Bentley and Audi cars have been seized at US ports for allegedly containing banned Chinese parts. The British business newspaper “Financial Times” reports, citing its sources. The auto components in question were allegedly made with forced labor.
It is about a thousand Porsches, several hundred Bentleys and several thousand Audis. The cars contain parts that come from Western China. In this region, the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority, are considered by the US to be oppressed by the Chinese government.
Volkswagen was not aware of the origin of the parts as they came from an indirect supplier.
The US has banned the import of products produced with the help of forced labor from several Chinese regions. Earlier on Wednesday, Volkswagen said it was investigating all of its operations in China’s western Xinjiang region. The automaker made this decision following a publication in the German newspaper Handelsblatt. The media alleges that forced labor was used during the construction of a test site in Turpan, a city in the western China region.
Car deliveries of some Volkswagen models in America have been delayed until the end of March. Before that, the parts must be replaced.