In June 2023, Volkswagen announced that it would have the Volkswagen SAIC plant in Xinjiang, China, audited. The review would be transparent, independent and external, giving "full transparency to the public", it said.

The plans were criticised by the Association of Critical Shareholders. While the association welcomed the fact that Volkswagen takes the risk of potential human rights violations seriously, it stated in an open letter to Volkswagen in July 2023 that there are "reasonable doubts as to whether an external audit can be an effective and sufficient measure in this specific case". In particular, the drastic policy of repression in the Uyghur region, which makes the collection of valid information impossible. The association therefore asked VW, among other things, how the independence and validity of the results can be guaranteed and whether workers can speak freely and without risk of state repression.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Volkswagen to respond to the letter. In its response VW said it remained intent on commissioning an independent audit of its Xinjiang plant in China and that it was convinced that an audit by an independent auditor can deliver important information about the human rights situation at the Urumqi plant. The company's response in German can be read in full below.

In December 2023, Volkswagen said that the audit, which was carried out by consultancy firm Löning - Human Rights and Responsible Business, had found no signs of forced labour. Subsequently, there were reports that senior staff at Löning had distanced themselves from the audit.

In a letter to Volkswagen, the Association of Ethical Shareholders, the Society for Threatened Peoples and World Uyghur Congress said this raised more questions regarding the credibility of the findings from the audit. The letter and VW's answers can be found on the Association of Critical Shareholders' website, which is also linked in the timeline below.