German carmaker Volkswagen claimed on Wednesday that some of its models had been denied entry into the United States after it emerged that Chinese-made components may have violated labour laws.
We are working to rectify a delay in delivering certain Volkswagen Group vehicles from ports to dealers due to a customs issue.
Volkswagen stated that the problem was due to a “small electronic component” that was “in the process of being replaced.” The part, believed to be from “western China,” violates US laws against forced labour, The Financial Times reports. The outlet stated that Porsche, Bentley and Audi models were also subject to the US entry ban.
However, Volkswagen was not aware of the origin of the part as it had received it from the supplier, the company stated. According to the report, the German car group was informed of the problem by the supplier and notified US authorities. The company claims that it “takes allegations of violations of human rights very seriously, both within the company and in the supply chain.”
As soon as we received information of allegations regarding one of our sub-suppliers, we have been investigating the matter.
The United States has banned most imports from Xinjiang, western China, unless companies provide verifiable evidence that production has not involved forced labour. The issue is highly sensitive for Volkswagen, which has long been plagued by questions about its plant in the region, which is run by local partner SAIC.
VW stated that it saw no evidence of human rights abuses in connection with the project, but that it would also investigate any new information that came to light.
