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Xinjiang cargo flights spark forced labor concerns

Over the past year, hundreds of cargo flights have connected China with Europe, transporting thousands of tons of goods from Xinjiang province. This region, home to the Uyghur minority, has long been at the center of international controversy due to reports of forced labor and human rights abuses.

According to an analysis by the Washington-based advocacy group Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP), over the past 12 months, more than 40 air routes have been established connecting Europe with airports in Xinjiang. Goods are being shipped to countries including the UK, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Switzerland, Belgium, Ireland, and Spain.

UHRP emphasizes that planes are carrying e-commerce products, clothing, footwear, electronics, car parts, and agricultural goods—sectors particularly vulnerable to the exploitation of Uyghur forced labor. 

“The rapid expansion of cargo flights between the Uyghur region and Europe represents a growing threat to the integrity of supply chains in the EU and the UK,” says David Alton, Chair of the UK Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights. He argues that the increasing number of flights contradicts the EU’s mechanism for monitoring products suspected of being made with forced labor.

Airlines in the shadow of allegations

Not all transport companies have full knowledge of the origin of the goods they carry. For example, representatives of Georgian CAMEX Airlines admit that they have no direct contact with manufacturers or the ability to verify whether products are made under forced labor conditions. Similarly, UK-based carrier European Cargo states that it complies with national regulations such as the Modern Slavery Act 2015 but acknowledges that tracking the entire supply chain is difficult.

In 2021, UK lawmakers recognized that “genocide” is occurring in Xinjiang, with Uyghur forced labor being part of it. In the same year, the United States imposed a ban on importing products made under forced labor conditions in the region, and these regulations were expanded in 2025.

The European Union adopted the Forced Labor Regulation at the end of 2024 to limit the inflow of goods produced in violation of human rights. In the UK, the Modern Slavery Act is in force, but in practice, both regulations are difficult to enforce, goods are rarely checked at borders, and supply chains are often opaque.

Rising number of flights and the future of trade

Xinjiang is becoming a central hub for China’s “Air Silk Road,” an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Ürümqi Airport is now one of the main export points, and there are plans to open seven more civil airports.

“Every uncontrolled shipment from Ürümqi is a potential human rights violation and a failure in combating forced labor,” notes Henryk Szadziewski, UHRP Research Director.

Experts are urging governments and companies to halt operations in the region until a reliable audit of working conditions can be conducted.

The development of cargo aviation from Xinjiang is, on one hand, an opportunity for trade and integration of the region into the global market; on the other, it presents serious ethical and political challenges. Europe today faces a dilemma: support trade, risk complicity in human rights abuses, or take radical steps to protect the integrity of its supply chains.

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