China supply chains subject of U.S. Senate panel inquiry

WASHINGTON — The US Senate Finance Committee has questioned eight major automakers. general motorsTesla, Ford, Honda To answer questions about China’s supply chain, according to a letter published Thursday.

In June, a U.S. law banning the importation of forced labor goods from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region came into force, in reaction to Beijing’s treatment of China’s Uyghur Muslims, which Washington calls genocide.

Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden wrote a letter to the chief executives of major automakers questioning China’s supply chain problems, saying, “It is imperative that automakers scrutinize their relationships with every country. is,” he said. supplier connected to Xinjiang. ”

Beijing denies abuses in Xinjiang but says it has set up “vocational training centers” to curb terrorism, separatism and religious radicalism.

In a letter sent to Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen The group, Chrysler’s parent company Sterantis and Mercedes-Benz said, “Unless due diligence confirms that the parts are not linked to forced labor, automakers will not sell vehicles containing parts mined or produced in Xinjiang.” It cannot and should not be sold in the United States.”

Wyden would like to know if automakers have ever canceled or curtailed the use of suppliers “because of raw materials, mining, processing and parts manufacturing related to Xinjiang.”