An investigation published Monday (May 10) by The Information said that U.S. high-tech company Apple used at least seven suppliers of slave labor-related production in Xinjiang, which had prison-like factories and even included guard towers.
The investigation used previously unpublished videos, photos and comments by Communist Party officials, as well as public reports in official Communist Party media, to determine that the suppliers were engaged in forced labor practices and also had ties to Apple.
The seven suppliers mentioned in the report include Advanced-Connectek, AcBel Polytech, Avary Holding, CN Innovations, Luxshare Precision Industry), Shenzhen Deren Electronic Co and Suzhou Dongshan Precision Manufacturing Co.
These companies claim to be involved in poverty alleviation projects for the Chinese Communist Party authorities, and they produce parts, paint and provide assembly services for Apple, the report said.
The Communist Party has set up a network of detentions in Xinjiang that is estimated to hold more than 1 million Uighur Muslims, and the poverty alleviation program is used by the authorities to convert the imprisoned persons to the Muslim faith and assimilate them into Han culture. Many detainees are required to participate in forced labor, and slave labor products are part of the global supply chain for medical supplies and cotton.
For example, the Lian Zhan Technology Company operates a factory on the edge of the Xinjiang desert adjacent to a forced labor detention compound, surrounded by walls and fences and with only one entrance/exit.
Researcher Nathan Ruser told The Information, “There are few other factories in Xinjiang that have these features, except for the industrial park, which has detained laborers.”
This is not the first time the supplier has been in the media spotlight – photos of the site taken by the Associated Press in December 2018 include some disturbing sights – next door is the Atushi City Vocational Skills Education and Training Service Center, with its barbed wire fence and guard towers .
In a statement provided to The Information, Apple said their company conducted an assessment of suppliers and that forced labor was one aspect of the assessment investigation.
“Investigating the presence of forced labor is part of every assessment we conduct in every country in which we do business.” The statement said, “Despite the restrictions of the CCP virus (COVID-19), we conducted further investigations and found no evidence of forced labor anywhere in our operations. We will continue to do everything we can to protect workers and ensure they are treated with dignity and respect.”
In addition to Apple, Western companies working with the seven suppliers identified as participating in forced labor programs include Google, Samsung, Amazon, Tesla, Dell, Lenovo, BMW, Cisco and Hewlett-Packard, among others, according to The Information.
Apple is one of several companies that have lobbied the U.S. Senate on the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which seeks to ban goods from Xinjiang unless customs can verify they were not made with forced labor. Other companies lobbying on the bill include Nike, Coca-Cola, Costco and Patagonia, among others.
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