Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., wants Volkswagen to detail its ties with two Chinese companies he says are "implicated in grotesque human rights abuses."
Rubio's comments came in a letter to Herbert Diess, chairman of the board of management of the Volkswagen Group.
"I request additional information with regard to Volkswagen's recent joint ventures with Chinese companies Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group," Rubio wrote. "Both companies are implicated in grotesque human rights abuses, including the human trafficking and forced labor of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC], the Chinese Communist Party's [CCP] ongoing genocide against Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region [XUAR], and the destruction of critical rainforest habitat in Indonesia.
"Last month, Volkswagen formed ventures with Huayou and Tsingshan for nickel, cobalt, and lithium, elements required to produce rechargeable electric vehicle batteries.
"As you may know, Huayou has been credibly implicated in the forced labor and human trafficking of child laborers in its cobalt mines in the DRC, including children who perished in the mines.
"Meanwhile, Tsingshan operates lithium and nickel mines in Indonesia, which require the destruction of the rainforest ecosystem, and is considered a major risk to biodiversity. Additionally, Volkswagen has been implicated as benefiting from the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims in XUAR, where an ongoing genocide is being committed against them and other ethnic and religious groups by the People's Republic of China."
He asked Diess if he was aware that "Huayou and Tsingshan are implicated in the Uyghur genocide in Xinjiang, responsible for forced labor and trafficking of children in the DRC."
He also asked if any VW board members are under the "undue influence or control of the CCP."
Reuters reported that Volkswagen was forming partnerships with Huayou and Tsingshan to secure nickel and cobalt supplies for electric vehicles in China. According to the wire service, it is part of a $33 billion effort by VW to build a network of battery cell factories.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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