According to the result from a report by the German Bundestag's Scientific Service, German companies could soon be forced to restrict their activities in #Xinjiang or withdraw from there altogether, due to the serious violations against #Uyghurs. sueddeutsche.de/politik/untern…
"The report states that once the Supply Chain Act comes into force, 'an obligation on the part of German companies to break off business relations with their Chinese suppliers seems almost inevitable' if they use forced laborers. Otherwise, German companies would face fines.
In individual cases, "individual criminal liability of company employees" could also result.
The Greens called on German companies to draw consequences. The responsibility of German companies operating in Xinjiang becomes "clearer than ever" with this report, said Margarete Bause, human rights policy spokeswoman for the Greens in the Bundestag.
"Every German company must now seriously ask itself whether it wants to continue maintaining business relations with Xinjiang under these conditions," she said. The report sends a clear message, she said: "Looking the other way is not an option."
"The report points out that the Supply Chain Act introduced by the cabinet in March creates a new legal situation. The draft law provides for fines of up to two percent of annual sales for large companies if they fail to take action against human rights abuses and ...
... environmental violations at their global suppliers. In the view of the Bundestag experts, it is obvious that this must lead to consequences in the case of #Xinjiang."
"According to the report, factory buildings used by German business enterprises are located in the immediate vicinity of the Chinese internment and re-education camps."
"The report mentions the companies Adidas, Puma, BMW, Bosch, Siemens, Volkswagen and BASF. The accused companies would have reacted to such accusations with "various statements, denials or concessions."
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I'm working on an explainer about #Taiwan's worst #COVID19 outbreak but I want to share some very sensible analysis by Professor Chi Chunhuei from Oregon State University, who has been closely studying Taiwan's disease prevention mechanism since the SARS epidemic:
"Taiwan has done well since the beginning of the outbreak by strictly guarding the border while domestically following a strict guideline of mask-wearing and maintaining social distancing. This allowed Taiwan to have no local cases by mid-April 2020.
The successful control quickly led Taiwanese people into what I called post-pandemic mode, largely living a very normal life."
From @nytimes: A rare insight into how @Apple has made compromises with #Beijing in order to do businesses in #China. "They offer an extensive inside look at how Apple has given in to escalating demands from the Chinese authorities." nytimes.com/2021/05/17/tec…
"@tim_cook, Apple’s chief executive, has said the data is safe. But at the data center in Guiyang, which Apple hoped would be completed by next month, and another in the Inner Mongolia region, Apple has largely ceded control to the Chinese government."
"Chinese state employees physically manage the computers. Apple abandoned the encryption technology it used elsewhere after China would not allow it. And the digital keys that unlock information on those computers are stored in the data centers they’re meant to secure."
Following three consecutive days of #COVID19 cases increase in #Taiwan, New Taipei City, one of the main hotpots, announced that it will raise its warning level close to level four, which is almost like a total lockdown. cna.com.tw/news/firstnews…
New Taipei City Mayor @houyuih told citizens that they need to expect a highly regulated lifestyle with very limited activities. He hopes citizens can collaborate with the government and enter the new way of life that's safe.
Meanwhile, #Taiwan's Representative to the US @bikhim also said on Monday that she will try her best to ensure that the moderna #COVID19 vaccine and other vaccines that Taiwan has purchased from the US manufacturers can arrive on time in June. cna.com.tw/news/firstnews…
Following the second rotating power outage across #Taiwan earlier on Monday, Taiwan President @iingwen apologized to the citizens and said it was very hard for her to accept that the same power plant got into trouble and caused two nationwide power outage in five days.
She said Tai-Power will have to conduct thorough investigations and inform citizens about the root causes of these two power outage incidents. cna.com.tw/news/firstnews…
The series of unexpected yet disruptive power outage across #Taiwan over the last five days have renewed a long-time political debate in Taiwan about the source of its electricity. Tsai, who previously has vowed to phase out nuclear power plants in Taiwan in 2025,...
At least 320 ENT doctors in #Taiwan have vowed to use their professional background and skills to help establish the operation of community-level testing stations across the island amid the worst #COVID19 outbreak in Taiwan since the start of the pandemic. cna.com.tw/news/ahel/2021…
Since May 15, 320 members of #Taiwan's ENT Medical Association have signed up to help direct the large amount of emerging #COVID19 cases in #Taiwan to community-level testing stations.
The association urge #Taiwan citizens who may have come into contact with anyone that has become confirmed cases or anyone who has relevant symptoms to go get tested at the community-level testing stations.