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BASF logo on a tank farm (archive image)
Photo: Patrick Pleul/dpa
According to a SPIEGEL report about BASF's possible involvement in the oppression of Uighurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, the chemical company wants to withdraw from two joint ventures in the region. BASF announced that it would sell its stake in the companies in the city of Korla. Otherwise, the presence in China remains unchanged, the company is “fully sticking to its business activities and planned investments in China.”
SPIEGEL and ZDF reported last week on controversial activities by the BASF Group in Xinjiang, northwest China. The Chinese company Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry, with which BASF produces jointly in the city of Korla, is significantly more involved in the system of oppression against the Muslim Uighur minority than previously known.
The company has now announced that regular investigations have revealed “no evidence of human rights violations in the two joint ventures.” The most recent reports refer to a joint venture partner in which BASF does not hold any shares.
"However, recently published reports about the joint venture partner contain serious allegations that indicate activities that are inconsistent with BASF's values," the company continued. BASF will therefore accelerate the ongoing process of selling shares in the two joint ventures.
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