From the ancient ports of southwest Italy to the industrial heartlands of Germany, European companies are enjoying strong trade with China’s Xinjiang region amid increasing pressure on Brussels to act against allegations of forced labor and other human rights abuses there.

As the European Union (EU) was finalising its investment deal with Beijing in December last year, there was a roaring trade in goods connected to the western region’s textiles and tomato industries, which have been targeted by the United States for deep links to the persecution of Uygurs and other Muslim minorities.