German car manufacturer Volkswagen is facing mounting pressure from civil society, the media and politicians to address concerns over its activities in Xinjiang, China, with the Minister-President of Lower Saxony, Volkswagen's anchor shareholder, and Germany's largest union boss last week calling on the company to examine allegations of human rights abuse in the province. Both IG Metall’s Jörg Hofmann and Minister-President Stephan Weil sit on Volkswagen's supervisory board.

Just last month, it was reported that Germany's Economy Ministry denied Volkswagen's application for new investment guarantees in China.