Volkswagen will sell its operations in China's Xinjiang, it said on Wednesday, after years of mounting pressure to abandon its presence in a region where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population.

German car giant Volkswagen said Wednesday it would sell its operations in China's Xinjiang region, where Beijing has been accused of widespread human rights abuses including forced labour.

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.