The recent addition of 43 Chinese companies, including aluminum producers, to a US government forced labor list underscores the need for car companies to disengage from suppliers linked to Uyghur forced labor.
Under the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the US government maintains a list of Xinjiang-based companies linked to forced labor, referred to as the “Entity List.” The law establishes a presumption that goods produced by a company on the list are linked to forced labor and cannot be imported into the United States. The list now includes five major Xinjiang-based based aluminum producers.
A February 2024 Human Rights Watch report found that more than 15 percent of aluminum produced in China—or 9 percent of the global supply—comes from Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities have committed crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims.
Aluminum producers in Xinjiang, and the coal mines and power plants that supply them, have participated in Chinese government labor transfers, which coerce Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims into jobs in Xinjiang and other regions. The US government in July 2024 designated aluminum as a high-priority sector for enforcement of the Uyghur forced labor law.
Aluminum is used in dozens of automotive parts, from engine blocks and vehicle frames to wheels and electric battery foils, which are used by car manufacturers in China and exported to carmakers around the world.
To ensure their vehicles or car parts are not held on entry to the United States, car companies should work with their suppliers to map their aluminum supply chains down to the raw material level and disengage from any supplier found to source parts or materials from Xinjiang.
Car companies should not tolerate supply chains that overlap with the Chinese government’s forced labor programs.
