Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use, Transfers, and Forced Assimilation

Forced Labor, Coercive Land-Use, Transfers, and Forced Assimilation in Xinjiang's Agricultural Production

By Adrian Zenz and I-Lin Lin

Open Access Download (December 2024)

Abstract

This report on forced labor in Xinjiang’s agricultural supply chains reveals how agricultural products from Xinjiang—including tomatoes, peppers, marigolds, and stevia—are tainted by forced labor, coercive land-use transfers from Uyghur peasants to Chinese agribusinesses, and forced assimilation. Major Chinese corporations implicated represent over 50% of China’s tomato production and 65% of global red pepper pigment. Uyghur forced labor and related rights violations now contaminate global food supply chains: Xinjiang produces approximately 15% of the world’s tomato paste, 10% of chili peppers, and two-thirds of paprika oleoresin. Up to 2.5 million Uyghurs and other minorities risk forced labor in the region. This report identified 90 companies with links to Xinjiang agriculture, including multinationals like Kraft Heinz, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, and L’Oreal. Products frequently enter global supply chains through intermediaries in other countries, obscuring their origins.

Keywords: People's Republic of China, Xinjiang, Uyghurs, forced labor, agriculture, land dispossession, political economy, economic development.