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Tesla came under fire from political leaders and human rights groups on Tuesday after China announced it would open a franchise in Xinjiang, where it is accused of detaining hundreds of thousands of Muslims in brainwashing camps.
Tesla said, “Let’s start the journey of pure electricity together in Xinjiang.” Weibo, Chinese social media site. The post included photos of a ribbon cutting and a Tesla sedan adorned with red and white balloons at the dealership in the region’s capital, Urumqi.
“National corporations are helping the Chinese Communist Party to cover up genocide and slave labor in the region,” Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio said on Twitter.
Mr. Rubio noted that the announcement came shortly after President Biden signed it. legislation this would ban the import of a wide variety of products manufactured in Xinjiang unless companies can prove they were not forced into labor.
Tesla is not the only automaker operating in Xinjiang. Volkswagen, which sells more cars in China than any other country, has faced criticism for operating a factory in Urumqi. The automaker said it does not use forced labor.
China is the world’s largest auto market and growing, while sales in Europe and the United States are sluggish. Automakers’ dependence on China makes them susceptible to pressure from government officials to establish operations in Xinjiang, an arid region in the northwest of the country.
Tesla, which dominates electric car sales around the world, operates a factory in Shanghai that Chinese authorities have allowed to operate without a local joint venture partner; This is a privilege it has not given to other foreign automakers before. China is one of the largest markets for the company’s cars, and Tesla also exports vehicles from its Shanghai factory to other countries.
China rejected the oppressive members of the Uyghur ethnic group and took a decisive action. propaganda campaign Forcing the narrative that Xinjiang is a happy and prosperous place.
Tesla’s criticism darkens what was otherwise a triumphant moment for the automaker after it announced it. 2021 sales increased by almost 90 percent to 936,000 vehicles. The increase was more than analysts expected and caused Tesla shares to rise 13 percent. The stock tumbled on Tuesday.
Michael Forsythe contributing reporting.
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