The automaker has long been criticized by human rights activists for doing business in the territory, where China has repressed Muslim ethnic groups.

German carmaker Volkswagen is withdrawing from its controversial involvement in a factory in China's Xinjiang province, which has attracted criticism over alleged human-rights abuses of the Uighur minority.

VW and its local partner sold a production site in the Xinjiang region that had previously brought increased scrutiny on the automaker over human-rights concerns.