Uyghur Forced Labor Concerns Shadow U.S.-China Trade Framework on Critical Minerals

A new U.S.-China trade framework promising to restart the flow of rare earth minerals to American industries is casting a long shadow due to unresolved concerns over forced labor in China’s supply chains. As both governments move to stabilize economic ties, emerging evidence links critical mineral production and manufacturing to coercive labor programs targeting Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities—raising fresh questions about the ethical cost of the agreement.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that China will ease rare earth mineral exports and that the U.S. will halt efforts to revoke visas for Chinese students. The agreement, reached after two days of high-level talks in London, is a “framework” rather than a signed deal—leaving key terms vague. Trump declared on social media, “WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%,” but critics say the framework offers little in the way of ethical safeguards.

Just days earlier, Hague-based Global Rights Compliance (GRC) published a report identifying 77 companies operating in China’s far-western Xinjiang region that are at high risk of using forced labor in the production of critical minerals like lithium, titanium, beryllium, and magnesium—materials central to electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense.

“The emergence of Xinjiang as a critical mineral hub relies, in part, on systemic forced labor,” the report states. Fifteen companies were documented sourcing materials directly from Xinjiang in the last two years, with 68 more identified as downstream customers.

But a broader investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), in collaboration with The New York Times and Der Spiegel, revealed that forced labor has spread far beyond Xinjiang. By analyzing tens of thousands of videos on Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart) and cross-referencing them with state media, researchers identified ethnic minority workers from Xinjiang employed across 75 factories in 11 regions—producing goods for more than 100 global brands, including Apple, Samsung, Tesla, and Volkswagen.

In one video, a man feeds car parts into a machine to the sound of a Uyghur folk song: “Who is going to the city to be a stranger?” Another video shows a worker in a Samsung-linked factory captioning his image: “Everyone’s slave is his own master.”

These scenes, paired with evidence of forced labor transfers and state-run indoctrination, paint a grim picture of how China’s ethnic policies are woven into the fabric of its industrial base.

Rights groups warn that the new U.S.-China framework does not address these practices—raising concerns about compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which prohibits goods linked to forced labor from entering the U.S. market.

Some of the companies named in the TBIJ investigation—such as Apple, Samsung, and Volkswagen—have said they are investigating or auditing their supply chains. Others, including Skechers and KFC, did not respond to inquiries.

Trade analysts say the agreement may temporarily reduce economic tensions but does not solve the long-term risk of dependency on tainted supply chains.

“This is a handshake deal,” said Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center. “It can change at any time.”