China hopes enterprises in Xinjiang would 'cherish' investment opportunities

Forced labour is a "fabrication" by external forces looking to hurt China's development, and the relevant enterprises should respect the facts and distinguish between what is right and wrong, said Mao Ning, a spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular news conference, when asked about the concerns of German companies there. Rights groups have presented documentation that the ethnic minority Uyghur population is subjected to forced labour in detention camps, pressuring Western companies in Xinjiang to audit their operations in the region.

China's foreign ministry said on Monday that it hoped enterprises in Xinjiang would "cherish" their investment opportunities, following plans by German companies to rethink their interest in the region amid forced labour concerns. Forced labour is a "fabrication" by external forces looking to hurt China's development, and the relevant enterprises should respect the facts and distinguish between what is right and wrong, said Mao Ning, a spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular news conference, when asked about the concerns of German companies there.

Rights groups have presented documentation that the ethnic minority Uyghur population is subjected to forced labour in detention camps, pressuring Western companies in Xinjiang to audit their operations in the region. Beijing has vehemently rejected the allegations. On Feb. 9, BASF said it would sell its stakes in two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after rights groups documented abuses including forced labour in detention camps. Several days later, Volkswagen said it was in talks with its joint venture partner in China over the future direction of its business activities in Xinjiang.