Radio Free Asia 7/21/2020
Nike Says China-based Supplier Sent All Uyghur Workers Home Amid Forced Labor Allegations
A China-based supplier to Nike has stopped hiring employees from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and sent all workers from the region back home, the footwear giant said in a statement on Tuesday, amid scrutiny over possible links between its supply chain and forced labor.
In early March, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said that tens of thousands of ethnic Uyghur detainees in the XUAR have been transferred to factories throughout China, where they are forced to produce goods for at least 83 global retailers, including Nike, Apple, BMW, The Gap, Samsung, Sony, and Volkswagen.
Following ASPI’s report, Nike said in a statement on its website that it was reviewing its suppliers’ hiring practices in China and claimed one of its biggest suppliers in the world, South Korean-owned Qingdao Taekwang Shoes Co., was exploring ways to end the contracts of Uyghur workers making shoes in its factory.
On Tuesday, in response to questions about the current state of its supply chain in China, the Oregon-based footwear company said it had confirmed that there are no longer any Uyghurs working for Qingdao Taekwang.
More:
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/nike-07212020174533.html
