Uighur ‘forced labour’ allegedly making Nike shoes in Chinese factories

China’s Uighur minority is allegedly manufacturing shoes for Nike and products for dozens of the world’s largest brands in factory conditions that ‘‘strongly suggest’’ forced labour, according to an investigation by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).

Nike, Apple and Adidas were identified as being among 83 wellknown brands that reportedly had a Uighur workforce in their supply chain.

The accusations add to the picture of oppression of the Muslim Uighur minority in Xinjiang, a far-western region in China. Officials from the US say up to three million have been locked up in re-education camps.

Researchers from ASPI claim some ‘‘re-educated’’ Uighurs are now being forced to work in factories, identifying plants in nine Chinese provinces that are using Uighurs transferred from Xinjiang since 2017.

They claim it is ‘‘extremely difficult’’ for Uighurs to escape these assignments because of constant surveillance and the threat of arbitrary detention.

The investigation examines three specific case studies. In the first, a factory in eastern China that reportedly makes shoes for Nike has watchtowers, barbed wire fences and police guard boxes. Uighur workers are said to be unable to go home for holidays. In the second, evidence suggests that Uighur workers were transferred from a reeducation camp to a factory in another eastern province that claims to supply sportswear to Adidas.

In the third study, ASPI identified factories using Uighur labour allegedly to make components for Apple or its suppliers. There is no suggestion that the brands knew this labour was being used in their supply chain.

The research draws on opensource Chinese-language documents, satellite imagery analysis, academic research and on-the-ground reporting, and suggests that foreign and Chinese companies have been drawn into human rights abuses perhaps unknowingly.

A spokesperson from Adidas told ASPI that the company did not have an active relationship with the factory in question. Meanwhile, an Apple spokesman, Josh Rosenstock, told The Washington Post, which first saw the report: ‘‘We work closely with all our suppliers to ensure that our high standards are upheld.’’

Nike told the paper: ‘‘We respect human rights in our extended value chain, and always strive to conduct business ethically and responsibly.’’

– Telegraph Group