China: Where forced labour is used to sideline minorities

China has long been known as the global workshop, but after COVID-19, business has started moving out of the country. And shocking revelations continue to emerge: A US report calls China a hotspot for forced labour. According to the report, 83 foreign and Chinese companies benefited from this.

If Chinese propaganda is to be believed, the ethnic minorities in Xinjiang are happy and prosperous. In a video, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium says the minorities in Xinjiang are happy and carefree.

But there is the another side of Xinjiang which China hasn't shared. A report from August narrates the tale of how Uighur Muslims are pushed into forced labour.As the global demand for personal protective equipment or PPE shot up, Uighurs were sent to work in at least 17 companies against their will.

China describes it as lifting the poor out of poverty, but a new report by the US Labour Department blows the lid off China's slavery program.

China tops the list of countries exporting products made with forced labour

China tops the list of countries that are exporting products made with forced labour. Reports say that origins of at least 17 goods can be traced back to forced and child labour. This includes artificial flowers, Christmas decorations, coal, fish, footwear, gloves, hair products and more.

Forced labour now taints several industries in China

According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, as many as 83 foreign and Chinese companies benefited from China's forced labour transfer programme. The list includes names of famous brands like Apple, BMW, GAP, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen.

Major powers are now questioning China's detention centres in Xinjiang, and Beijing has tried to evade the scrutiny by denying their existence. Another report says that china is now building bigger detention centres in Xinjiang. The report goes on to describe one such facility spread across 60 acres.

With 13 five-story residential buildings, the entire detention camp is surrounded by high walls. Allegedly, it can accommodate more than 10,000 people. Forced labour is part of a broad Chinese government campaign of repression against the minorities.

Even though China denies all charges, the evidence is clear. After the COVID-19 outbreak, several companies are thinking of moving their factories away from China.