China confirmed on Wednesday that it has deported a manager from the German car manufacturer Volkswagen for drug use.
Security authorities detained the man for 10 days before deporting him to Germany, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
Volkswagen did not confirm the case when asked and said it would not comment for reasons of confidentiality.
According to media reports, the top manager at the company had returned to China from a stay in Thailand about two weeks ago.
The man’s personal details, listed online, state he had been working for Volkswagen in China for a little over two years.
Media reports say he had tested positive for cannabis and cocaine, both of which are illegal in China. It was not clear why he had been tested.
Cannabis is legal in Thailand. However, China punishes drug use even if it occurs abroad.
Volkswagen already faces a slew of problems in China, which is the world’s most important car market.
The German manufacturer is lagging far behind its Chinese competitors in the sale of electric cars. It is also trying to find a solution for the controversial site it operates with China’s state-owned car manufacturer SAIC in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, which has faced backlash due to the province’s human rights record.
