Azerbaijan courts Chinese firm flagged for Uyghur forced labor
Baku's talks with Xinjiang Joinworld — blacklisted by US over labor-transfer programs — point to deeper industrial ties despite the company's record
BAKU, Azerbaijan (MNTV) — Azerbaijan has discussed expanding cooperation with China’s Xinjiang Joinworld on aluminum and metallurgical technology, a company the United States has blacklisted over its alleged use of Uyghur forced labor.
Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said the talks focused on joint projects, modern technologies, and the transfer of expertise, part of an effort to move Azerbaijan’s industry beyond primary metal toward higher-value processed products such as rolled aluminum, profiles, and specialized alloys.
Azerbaijan already produces primary aluminum through its state producer Azeraluminium, the only such producer in the South Caucasus.
The company Baku is courting has a documented record, largely absent from the Azerbaijani coverage of the talks. In November 2024, the U.S. added Xinjiang Joinworld — formally Xinjiang Zhonghe Co. — to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Entity List, citing “reasonable cause to believe” it works with authorities in Xinjiang to recruit and transfer Uyghurs and other persecuted minorities for forced labor.
Human Rights Watch has documented the firm’s ties to state labor-transfer programs, and its aluminum products are barred from the U.S. market under a legal presumption that they are made with forced labor.
China denies committing abuses against Uyghurs, a mostly Muslim minority; the U.S. and several parliaments have described its treatment of them as ethnic cleansing.
The discussions follow earlier January talks with the Chinese firms Wanji and Sunstone. Officials frame the outreach as part of a push to diversify Azerbaijan’s economy beyond energy, using its position on the Middle Corridor trade route between China and Europe to build export-oriented manufacturing.
The talks have not produced details on investment, capacity, or timelines, and the value-chain framing reflects Azerbaijani state-media analysis.
The partner’s forced-labor designation, however, means any deal would carry reputational and legal risks for Azerbaijan’s non-oil export ambitions, particularly in Western markets.
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