Washington, D.C. – Today, the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) conducted a critical hearing titled “Factories and Fraud in the PRC: How Human Rights Violations Make Reliable Audits Impossible.” The hearing focused on exposing false social and labor audits that aim to conceal the extensive system of state-imposed forced labor by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in East Turkistan. The Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) views this hearing as a crucial step towards holding businesses accountable for utilizing Uyghur forced labor in their supply chains.
During the hearing, several witnesses provided valuable insights. Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor, Thea Lee, stressed the importance of comprehensive social compliance systems to protect workers' rights without fear of retaliation. Scott Nova, Executive Director of the Worker Rights Consortium, highlighted the need for corporations to conduct thorough inspections across their supply chains to ensure human rights standards are met.
Dr. Adrian Zenz from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation urged Congress to increase oversight of companies operating in the Uyghur region and emphasized the limitations of current auditing practices in detecting systemic state coercion. Jim Wormington of Human Rights Watch echoed the call for increased scrutiny of businesses in China and suggested that companies should disengage from partnerships linked to Uyghur forced labor.
Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director of Campaign for Uyghurs, expressed gratitude towards the Congressional leaders and panelists for their efforts in addressing the exploitation of Uyghur people by multinational businesses. Abbas stated, “It’s time to expose and address the business tactics used to cover up the lack of due diligence in supply chains.”
The CECC Chair, Rep. Chris Smith, and Cochair Senator Jeff Merkley were commended for their leadership in countering the CCP's actions and profiteering from forced Uyghur labor. CFU emphasized the urgent need to address forced labor and “auditwashing” in the Uyghur Genocide and called for decisive action to end the CCP's imposition of forced labor on Uyghur and Turkic communities in East Turkistan.
In response to the hearing, Rushan Abbas remarked, “Despite China’s tyrannical regime, my homeland remains a hub for multinational business, drawing on the exploitation of the Uyghur people. It’s time to expose and address the business tactics used to cover up the lack of due diligence in supply chains.”
The Campaign for Uyghurs highlighted the importance of addressing forced labor and “auditwashing” practices in driving the Uyghur Genocide and urged governments, NGOs, and other entities to take concrete steps in ending the CCP's use of forced labor on Uyghur and Turkic communities in East Turkistan.
