Germany's Volkswagen Group and its Chinese partner have sold a factory in the Xinjiang region of China, where accusations of forced labor dogged the facility for many years.

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

SAIC Volkswagen is based in Anting, Shanghai's Jiading district, and has production bases in Nanjing, Yizheng, Urumqi, Ningbo, Changsha, and other Chinese cities. In 2015, it surpassed FAW-Volkswagen Automotive, the JV of FAW Group and Volkswagen, to become the top-selling domestic passenger car company.