Huawei
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(First published 1 March 2020) The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 82 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.
Expert testimony at the Uyghur Tribunal detailed how companies like Huawei, the multinational hardware firm, and Hikvision, the largest global camera manufacturer, developed and tested technology that could play a role in the tracking and eventual detention of Uyghur and other ethnic and religious minorities.
Chinese telecommunication giant Huawei Technologies Co has suspended downloads of sportswear brands Nike and Adidas from its app store amid a public uproar in China over their position on the alleged use of forced labour by Xinjiang cotton producers.
A Huawei patent has been brought to light for a system that identifies people who appear to be of Uighur origin among images of pedestrians. The filing is one of several of its kind involving leading Chinese technology companies, discovered by a US research company and shared with BBC News. Huawei had previously said none of its technologies was designed to identify ethnic groups.
ZDNet asked 13 of the companies named in ASPI's report for a response to ASPI's claims, of which five were returned by the time of publication.