BMW Jaguar used banned parts
Automakers Implicated in Forced Labor Scandal
BMW, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), and Volkswagen (VW) have been linked to a supplier on a U.S. blacklist for alleged connections to Chinese forced labor, according to a report from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden. The report revealed that at least 8,000 BMW Mini Cooper cars were imported into the U.S. with components from the banned Chinese firm Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group (JWD).
Senator Wyden criticized the automakers for insufficient self-policing and called for stricter enforcement by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. JLR has identified and is destroying any stock worldwide that includes components from JWD, while VW voluntarily reported the issue to customs officials earlier this year.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), passed in 2021, aims to prevent the import of goods from China’s Xinjiang region suspected to be made with forced labor. JWD was added to the UFLPA Entity List in December 2023, with its products presumed to be made under forced labor conditions. China denies allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang, where over one million Uyghurs are believed to have been detained.
