According to a report released Monday by a non-profit watchdog group, Amazon continues to work with Chinese companies accused of using forced labour despite public warnings.
Tech Transparency Project’s report, which is a non-profit research group, found that Amazon has five suppliers on its public list. These companies were previously linked by think tank researchers and journalists to “labor transfer” programs that are in China. These suppliers are responsible for producing Amazon-branded products and products that are sold under house labels such as Amazon Basics.
The report warned that Amazon’s third-party sellers could be selling products that use labor from the western Chinese region Xinjiang. This includes cotton imports that are already under U.S. sanctions.
The report by Tech Transparency Project researchers stated that the findings raised questions about Amazon’s exposure in China to the repression of Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang and the extent to the extent to which Amazon is adequately vetting its supplier relationships.
Amazon did not respond to the specific allegations. Erika Reynoso spoke for Amazon, saying that the company follows all laws and regulations in every jurisdiction where it operates. She also expects suppliers adhere to the Supply Chain Standards. We are very concerned about allegations of human rights violations, even those relating to forced labor. We take immediate action when we receive or find proof of forced labor.
According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think-tank, at least 80,000 people hailing from Xinjiang (a predominantly Muslim region) were forced to work in factories throughout the country under “labor transfer” programs by the Chinese government. Researchers found that workers are often removed from their families and have very few rights.
American companies are under increased stress to ensure that their supply chains do not trace back to Xinjiang. Human rights groups have estimated that approximately 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other ethnic minorities were interned in internment camps. Some facilities are said to have factories within them. President Joe Biden signed a bill instructing officials to treat any imports from Xinjiang as tainted with forced labor unless it is proven otherwise.
Beijing has repeatedly denied criticisms of its policies regarding Xinjiang. Liu Pengyu was a spokesperson for China Embassy in Washington. He stated in a statement that “employment in Xinjiang by ethnic minorities is independent, voluntary, and free.” He called any reports suggesting otherwise “groundless.”
In recent years, a number of Silicon Valley titans, including Apple have been accused of working with companies using forced Uyghur labor. Tech Transparency Project, China Labor Watch, and The Information both used public documents and state media reports to report that Apple had partnered with seven Chinese suppliers who allegedly participated the labor transfer program. Apple claimed that it has not found any evidence of forced labor in the areas where it operates.
Amazon has over 1,900 suppliers. It says that it conducts thousands supply chain assessments each year, including potential manufacturers.
Amazon discovered that 8 percent of firms it audited had labor problems related to “Freely Chosen Employment” in 2020, up from 3.2 percent last year. The increase was primarily due to preproduction audits. Amazon also stated that failure to meet its standards had been a factor in the decision to terminate hundreds more suppliers.
Amazon’s business is tightly linked to China. However, Amazon has so far largely escaped criticisms regarding forced labor from its peers, according to Katie Paul, director at the Tech Transparency Project.
She said, “It doesn’t seem to get that level of scrutiny.”
According to Amazon’s website, the vast majority of suppliers who produce Amazon-branded products like the Kindle and Echo are based in China. Many third-party sellers that offer products on Amazon’s marketplace are also located within the country.
Relocated workers
Tech Transparency Project identified three Amazon suppliers who were directly linked to forced labor in China: AcBel Polytech, Luxshare Precision Industry and Lens Technology. It is not known what Amazon products they are responsible for. The companies declined to comment.
According to Amazon’s public supplier list, Luxshare has two subsidiaries: Dongguan Luxshare Precision Industry (SHENZHEN Luxshare Electro Acoustic Technology) and Shenzhen Luxshare Precision Industry (Dongguan Luxshare Precision Industry). Chinese government documents published by The Information on May revealed that Luxshare Precision Industry, an electronic manufacturer, had allegedly received “as many Xinjiang laborers as hundreds” between 2017-2020. NBC News has not independently verified these documents.
Lens Technology is a company that produces glass screens for smartphones and laptops. According to Chinese government documents, the Washington Post first reported, thousands of Uyghur workers have been accepted by Lens Technology. The company began to eliminate Uyghur workers after it received negative attention for its labor practices.
According to The Information, AcBel Polytech , another electronics manufacturer, produced a official video many years ago in collaboration avec local Xinjiang officials. It described how nearly 200 workers from the area were sent to work at the company. Experts told The Information that some of them were recorded chanting loyalty vows in front of a poster displaying the Chinese Communist Party oath.
Experts believe it is difficult for Uyghurs not to consent to being transferred to factories. The risk of them being punished if they refuse to do so is high.
Darren Byler is an international studies professor at Simon Fraser University, Canada. He is the author of ” Terror Capitalism. Uyghur Dispossession. Masculinity. In a Chinese City“. Uyghurs are usually sent in groups of 50 to factories in Chinese cities. These may be hundreds of thousands of miles from their homes and families.
Workers are often separated by gender and accompanied at all times by a state employee or a police officer. They are required to attend Mandarin and ideological training and live in dormitories on the job. Byler stated that they often have no control over their work hours, where they work and whether or not they can take time off.
