WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A US Congressional report has revealed major gaps
in US automakers' oversight of forced labour 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 labour, the report said.

'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 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 labour 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. Wyden is a Democrat from Oregan.

Importing goods made with forced labour in facilities in China's
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 US market included parts made with a supplier banned by
the US 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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