China’s mass detention and surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs turned its far western region of Xinjiang into a global symbol of forced labor and human rights abuses, prompting Congress to ban imports from the area in 2021.

But the Chinese government has found a way around the ban — by moving more Uyghurs to jobs in factories outside Xinjiang.

A joint investigation by The New York Times, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Der Spiegel found that state-led programs to ship Uyghur workers out of Xinjiang are much more extensive than previously known.

China has placed Uyghurs in factories across the country that make a wide range of goods used in brand-name products around the world, the investigation found. And it has done so with little to no visibility for supply-chain auditors or border and customs officials charged with spotting labor abuses and blocking the import of tainted goods.

Both the United States and the European Union have adopted laws aimed at preventing consumers and businesses from funding the persecution of Uyghurs in China. These state-run labor transfer programs pose a significant challenge. It may be possible to target imports from Xinjiang, but tracking the relocation and treatment of workers from Xinjiang to factories across China is a much more difficult endeavor…

[Article names Elec & Eltek, TCL, Transimage (also known as Jiangsu Chuanyi Technology), Hubei Hangte Equipment Manufacturing, Dachan Food, Xinjiang Zhengcheng Minli Modern Enterprise Services, Apple, Volkswagen, LG Electronics, Skechers, KFC Chicken, Samsung, Cal-Comp, BMW, Subway, McDonald’s, Tesla, Crocs, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, Ford, Chrysler (part of Stellantis), Mazda, Hyundai, Mahle Industrial Thermal Systems, Midea, and Manchester City football club. Responses to the journalists' requests for comment can be read from Apple, Samsung, Volswagen, BMW, Crocs, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, Mazda, General Motors, Ford, Hyundai and Mahle Industrial Thermal Systems.]