Accusation from US Senate
BMW is said to have imported a car with banned parts
May 20, 2024, 9:10 p.m
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A year ago, the US Congress passed a law intended to prevent the import of goods made from Chinese forced labor. However, BMW continued to import cars with banned parts from the Xinjiang region to the United States, according to a U.S. Senate report.
The restrictive US trade policy against China is also affecting German car manufacturers: According to a published report by the US Senate, BMW has imported at least 8,000 Mini Coopers into the United States that contain electronic components from a sanctioned Chinese supplier.
These components have been banned since a 2021 law, the report says. BMW continued to import products with the banned parts until at least April. The BMW Group said in an email that it had “taken steps to stop the import of the affected products.” The company will replace the affected parts.
The US Congress passed the so-called Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) law in 2021 to prevent the import of goods from the Chinese region of Xinjiang. The Western government assumes that members of the Uighur minority use forced labor to produce products there. China denies the allegations. The US Congress report calls for further measures because automakers’ self-regulation is not enough.
The complexity of the process is demonstrated by the fact that California-based automotive supplier Bourns Inc. purchased components from Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group (JWD). This Chinese company was placed on the UFLPA suspect list in December. Bourns supplied JWD parts to Lear Corp LEA.N, which in turn is a direct supplier to BMW and Jaguar Land Rover. On Jan. 11, Lear sent letters to BMW, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo and Volkswagen AG informing them of the banned components, the report said. However, BMW apparently only stopped the imports after the committee repeatedly asked Lear and Lear’s OEM customers, including BMW, detailed questions about their relationship with JWD.
Back in February, Volkswagen confirmed that several thousand Porsche, Bentley and Audi vehicles had been detained in US ports because a Chinese supplier had violated anti-forced labor laws.