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.

Volkswagen has faced major criticism from activists and investors over its interest in the Xinjiang factory which it first opened in 2013

Earlier this year, the U.S. blocked imports of several Porsche, Bentley, and Audi vehicles amid concerns that they contained a Chinese-made part that violated U.S. forced labor laws.