BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Following the announcement by the chemical company BASF that it will withdraw from the Chinese region of Xinjiang, German politicians from the SPD, Greens and FDP have called on Volkswagen to do the same. "Xinjiang must become a 'no-go' as a location for economic activities for Western companies, including VW," Renata Alt (FDP), Chairwoman of the Bundestag's Human Rights Committee, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper (Monday).

The withdrawal of BASF sends a clear signal, Alt continued: "No lazy compromises can be made when it comes to human rights". BASF's decision to divest its shares in joint ventures in Xinjiang was therefore very welcome.

Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer told the newspaper "Tagesspiegel" that the pressure on VW would now increase once again. "VW must leave Xinjiang," he explained. There is an ethical red line for the business acumen of companies; "complicity with the forced labor regime in Xinjiang" lies behind it.

The Federal Government Commissioner for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Frank Schwabe, called on all German companies to stop doing business in Xinjiang, according to the Tagesspiegel. "Fundamentally, the human rights situation in Xinjiang is so catastrophic and confusing that German companies should not operate there. This also applies to VW," the SPD politician told the newspaper.

The BASF Group announced on Friday that it would sell shares in the two joint ventures in Korla, China, in the center of the Xinjiang region, and also referred to recent reports of possible human rights violations.

VW operates a plant in Xinjiang in a joint venture with the Chinese manufacturer Saic. In the summer, the car manufacturer commissioned a company to investigate the working conditions at the controversial plant in Xinjiang for human rights violations. The auditors announced in December that they had found no evidence or proof of forced labor among the employees. Volkswagen last said in early February that it takes its responsibility as a company in the area of human rights very seriously worldwide - including in China. The company adheres closely to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Uyghurs, members of other minorities and human rights organizations have been reporting for years that hundreds of thousands of people in Xinjiang have been sent to re-education camps against their will, in some cases tortured and forced to perform forced labor. The Chinese government denies these allegations./vee/DP/zb