BASF pulls out of Chinese ventures

BASF says it is seeking to divest its stake in two controversial manufacturing joint ventures in Korla, China. The German chemical giant is facing mounting pressure over its partner's alleged involvement in human rights abuses against the Uyghur people in China's Xinjiang region, where the plants are located. The joint venture plants, with local partner Xinjiang Markor Chemical Industry, were completed in 2016. They produce butanediol and the derivative polytetrahydrofuran, a raw material for elastic fibers such as spandex. An investigation by the German news outlets Der Spiegel and ZDF found that Xinjiang Markor employees accompanied Chinese officials on visits to Uyghur homes. Human Rights Watch says such visits, which can last more than 5 days, are meant to spy on and indoctrinate Uyghur families. Spurred by the reports, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, an international organization of lawmakers, called on BASF to withdraw from the ventures in a letter