UPDATE 1-Croatia's Rimac ends joint venture with China battery maker Camel

(Releads with Rimac comment, adds context)

BERLIN, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Rimac, which is part-owned by Porsche AG, is in the process of ending a joint venture with Chinese battery producer Camel Group, the Croatian sports car maker said on Friday.

The United States last year banned goods made by two China-based companies, including Camel, as part of efforts to eliminate alleged forced labour from the U.S. supply chain.

Beijing denied the allegations.

"The Rimac Group has taken note of the allegations regarding forced labor practices linked to one of our investors, Camel Group," the Croatian company said in e-mailed comments.

Camel could not immediately be reached for comment.

Earlier this week, German magazine WirtschaftsWoche reported that Camel, which took a stake in Rimac in 2017, was accused by U.S. authorities of involvement in forced labour.

"We remain committed to upholding responsible and ethical business practices, both internally and in our partnerships," Rimac said in the email on Friday.

Rimac said its joint venture with Camel Group had been operationally inactive since 2022 and that it was currently in the process of terminating it.

Porsche parent Volkswagen said last week that it was talks with its joint venture partner in China over its presence in Xinjiang, after a German newspaper reported what it said was evidence of involvement in forced labour. (Reporting by Kirsti Knolle and Ivana Sekularac; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Miranda Murray and Alexander Smith)