Liege Airport Resumes Controversial Cargo Flights to Xinjiang
Liege Airport has quietly resumed cargo flights to Ürümqi, the capital of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, operated by Beijing Capital Airlines — a move that has reignited controversy over Belgium’s trade ties with a region at the centre of international human rights concerns. The flights, confirmed via FlightRadar24 tracking data, connected Ürümqi-Diwopu Airport to Liege on June 8 and June 10, 2026.
Background: A Region Under Scrutiny
The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwest China has been the subject of widespread international condemnation since approximately 2017, when the Chinese government under Xi Jinping implemented mass surveillance, mass internment in so-called “vocational training centres,” and forced labour programs targeting the Uyghur minority. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published a 2022 assessment expressing grave concerns, noting that some facts “may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity” and warning of a “serious risk of genocide.”
In June 2021, the Belgian parliament passed a resolution recognizing China’s treatment of Uyghurs as “crimes against humanity” and warning of a “serious risk of genocide,” as documented by the Uyghur Human Rights Project.
Discreet Resumption
Unlike other new cargo routes, Liege Airport did not publicly announce or celebrate this connection, suggesting awareness of its political sensitivity. According to La Libre Belgique, the airport has deflected responsibility, stating the matter “falls under federal jurisdiction.”
This is not the first such route. A previous Kashgar-Liege cargo route operated in January 2022, drawing sharp criticism from EU lawmakers. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned the route, with Belgian Green MP Samuel Cogolati stating at the time: “A growing number of parliaments around the world have recognised that the Uyghurs are at serious risk of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, including Belgium’s. Now is not the time to be deepening trade links with Xinjiang’s forced labour capital.”
The Air Silk Road Expansion
The resumption of flights to Liege is part of a broader pattern. Since June 2024, there has been a dramatic surge in cargo flights from Ürümqi to European destinations. According to a July 2025 report by the Uyghur Human Rights Project, nine cargo carriers operated at least 20 routes from Ürümqi to cities across the EU, UK, and Switzerland by May 2025, with up to 2,000 tonnes of goods entering Europe from the region each month.
Liege Airport has positioned itself as Europe’s leading cargo hub, heavily dependent on Chinese e-commerce traffic. In 2026, the airport has been processing over 4 million small parcels from China daily, straining Belgian customs capacity. Belgium’s top customs official, Kristian Vanderwaeren, has warned that only 80 customs officers are available at the airport, making effective screening for forced labour-linked goods practically impossible, as reported by China Strategy.
The Enforcement Gap
The EU Forced Labour Regulation (2024/3015), which entered into force in December 2024, prohibits products made with forced labour from the EU market. However, its main compliance provisions will not apply until December 2027, creating a multi-year enforcement gap. This means goods from Xinjiang can continue entering the EU with limited scrutiny for at least another 18 months.
Analysis: A Policy Contradiction
The Belgian federal government now faces a difficult policy contradiction. On one hand, it has taken a strong human rights stance, with its parliament recognizing the “serious risk of genocide” against Uyghurs. On the other, Liege Airport is a major economic asset for Wallonia and Belgium, and the airport’s commercial interests are increasingly intertwined with Chinese e-commerce.
Reinhard Bütikofer MEP, IPAC Co-Chair, previously warned in 2022: “We know that state-sponsored forced labour is widespread in Xinjiang. At the same time, independent auditors have been denied access to supply chains in the region. The opening of a direct air cargo route risks even more goods tainted by Uyghur forced labour entering Europe.”
What’s Next
The Belgian federal government has not yet issued a formal response to this specific resumption. The flights have been described as “apparently one-off,” but this remains unconfirmed. Renewed scrutiny from EU lawmakers and human rights organizations is expected, and the incident raises broader questions about whether the EU’s enforcement timeline for the Forced Labour Regulation is adequate to prevent the proliferation of routes like this one.
As the Air Silk Road continues to expand, the tension between Europe’s human rights commitments and its economic integration with China is likely to intensify.