AFPEA BASF factory in Schwarzheide in East Germany
NOS Nieuws•gisteren, 23:18
BASF, the largest chemical group in the world, is withdrawing from the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The decision follows heavy criticism against the German company. It is said to be involved in “gross abuses” against the Uyghur population in the area.
The accusation emerged last week in a joint investigation by German media outlets Der Spiegel and ZDF. It revealed that employees of BASF’s Chinese partner company had accompanied Chinese state officials on visits to Uyghur households.
Those home visits were part of a government campaign against the Uyghur Muslim minority. Officials from government agencies and state-owned enterprises visited minorities to collect information about them and monitor their behavior.
Letter from politicians
Human rights organization Human Rights Watch describes these visit as threatening. According to the organization, “families are required to provide information about their political views to officials and are subjected to indoctrination.”
The Uighurs are a Muslim minority from the Chinese province of Xinjiang. The population group is severely oppressed and several human rights organizations claim that the Chinese government is guilty of crimes against humanity. A majority in the Dutch House of Representatives speaks of genocide.
In response to the investigation by German media outlets, a group of thirty politicians from around the world sent a letter to the chairman of BASF. The chemical company should withdraw from Xinjiang, the politicians said.
“Border Crossed”
Today, BASF said in a statement that it is indeed withdrawing from its joint ventures in Xinjiang. This concerns two factories in the region where chemicals are made. The company states that it had already decided in recent months to divest partner companies, but that it will accelerate that process in response to the reports.
The chemical manufacturer states in the statement that no abuses emerged from previous research, but that the results of this new research “crossed the line”. According to the company’s CEO, multiple internal and external investigations have taken place since 2019.
Cassette tapes
BASF used to be best known for cassette tapes and video tapes. These are hardly made anymore, but the company is still very large. It makes, among other things, glue, plastic and batteries and is active in the oil and gas industry. BASF makes billions of euros in profit every year.
2024-02-09 22:18:27
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