Tesla, Toyota, others at risk of using Xinjiang forced labor, report says

Human Rights Watch raises red flag on region's aluminum supply chain

A Tesla electric vehicle on a street in Beijing. Human Rights Watch has warned that several global automakers may be exposed to forced labor in Xinjiang through the aluminum they use. Tesla, for one, says it has found no evidence of that. © Reuters

PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writer

February 1, 2024 14:16 JST

HONG KONG -- Automakers including Toyota Motor, General Motors, Tesla and Volkswagen could be exposed to forced labor in Xinjiang through a key metal used in their cars, according to a new Human Rights Watch report.

Aluminum, crucial to the manufacture of electric vehicles, is used in automobile frames, engine blocks and battery foils. More than 15% of China's production of the metal comes from the western autonomous region of Xinjiang, where Chinese authorities stand accused of human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims, a charge long denied by Beijing.