In recent weeks, a wave of reports has reignited global concern over the widespread use of Uyghur forced labor in Xinjiang and its infiltration into international supply chains. On the same day Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed on a trade deal involving critical minerals, a Global Rights Compliance report revealed that major companies in the titanium, lithium, beryllium, and magnesium industries are complicit in China’s forced labor transfer programs. The report identified 77 companies operating in Xinjiang, with 15 sourcing directly from the region in the past two years and 68 downstream customers potentially using tainted materials.
Simultaneously, a Foreign Policy report by Peter Irwin and Henryk Szadziewski detailed how international hotel chains—including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Accor—are expanding in Xinjiang despite well-documented rights abuses. Hotels have been built on demolished religious sites, linked to Chinese state propaganda, and operated through partnerships that sidestep supply chain regulations. None of the companies responded to calls for accountability.
A joint investigation by The New York Times, Der Spiegel, and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism confirmed that tens of thousands of Uyghurs are working under coercive conditions in factories up to 2,600 miles from Xinjiang. These factories supply global brands such as Tesla, BMW, McDonald’s, Samsung, and Crocs. Human rights lawyer Rayhan Asat emphasized, “This is about dispersing Uyghurs as a group and breaking their roots.
Additional investigations have uncovered Uyghur forced labor in the supply chains of Decathlon, Volkswagen, and even the International Olympic Committee’s official apparel. While the U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act remains in effect, international legal momentum has waned since 2022. Activists now seek justice through national courts and public pressure, urging corporations to sever ties with forced labor or leave Xinjiang entirely.