China Labor Watch (CLW)

01/31/2026

China Labor Watch Statement on the UK Government’s Public Engagement with Labubu
January 31, 2026
China Labor Watch expresses serious concern regarding the UK government’s recent decision to publicly engage with and endorse the Chinese designer toy company Pop Mart, including welcoming the company’s move to establish London as its European hub.
Just ten days ago, China Labor Watch released an independent investigative report on manufacturing facilities associated with Pop Mart. Based on first-hand worker interviews and fact verification, the report documented multiple ongoing labor rights concerns, including excessive overtime, inadequate labor protections, the absence of effective grievance mechanisms, the forced overtime of underage workers, the withholding of workers’ wages, and other practices indicative of suspected forced labor.
As of now, we have not observed any substantive improvements in labor conditions at the relevant factories.
Against this backdrop, the UK government has nonetheless chosen to publicly support and promote the company’s European expansion, without disclosing whether any independent and effective human rights and labor due diligence has been conducted regarding labor risks within Pop Mart’s supply chain. This decision sends a troubling and dangerous signal to the international human rights and labor community.
The signal is clear: even when labor rights concerns have been clearly documented, are temporally recent, and remain unresolved, they may still be sidelined so long as a company is considered commercially or politically attractive.
When governments choose to publicly endorse companies despite unresolved labor rights concerns, the implications extend far beyond any individual case. Such practices risk undermining stated commitments to values-based trade policies and exacerbating unfair competition.
Based on the facts outlined above, China Labor Watch urges the UK government to reconsider its public engagement with and policy endorsement of Pop Mart, and to clarify how this decision aligns with its stated commitments to labor rights and responsible business conduct. We formally request that the UK government issue a public response to the concerns raised above.
Li Qiang
Executive Director

07/31/2025

ActionAid France publie aujourd'hui un rapport basé sur une enquête menée par notre partenaire "China Labor Watch" sur les conditions de travail dans des ateliers produisant pour la marque Shein. Ce rapport, qui s'appuie sur des témoignages directs, met e...

04/22/2025

“Today, workers continue to toil in terrible working conditions, working long hours, earning low wages, experiencing bullying and are exposed to hazardous substances with a lack of protective equipment,” said China Labor Watch (CLW), which has investigated the working and living conditions in the Asian superpower’s toy factories for 24 years.

FROM electronic baby gadgets to Barbie dolls and teddy bears, there is no doubt children’s toys bring joy to millions of youngsters across Britain. But behind some of the nation’s best-loved toys l…

03/23/2025

In my piece for The Diplomat, I reflect on how Voice of America changed my life. As a child in China, I secretly listened to VOA for uncensored truth. It shaped my journey as a labor rights advocate and gave Chinese workers a rare voice to the world. Today, VOA remains a vital tool for freedom and U.S. global influence. Cutting it would hand authoritarian regimes a victory—and betray American values. If the U.S. government truly wants to maintain its competitive edge against China, it cannot rely solely on tariffs or economic policies – it must defend its values.
Many Chinese scholars, technology experts, and top professionals choose to move to the United States because they believe in the values VOA promotes. This is America’s long-term investment in values. The true strength of the United States lies not in its military or economic prowess, but in its fundamental distinction from authoritarian regimes – it represents freedom, democracy, and universal rights. https://www.facebook.com/share/18Umh3nWxc/?mibextid=wwXIfr

For decades, VOA has not only brought accurate information to China, but has served as a rare conduit for Chinese activists to speak to the world.

03/07/2025

We received notification today that all U.S. Department of State-funded projects have been officially reinstated as of March 3, 2025. We hope that other affected organizations will also resume their projects soon. This is the notification letter for one of our projects.

NOTICE OF LIFT OF SUSPENSION

March 6, 2025
CHINA LABOR WATCH, INC
REF:

Dear Qiang Li:

The U.S. Department of State hereby notifies the recipient that the suspension of the referenced award(s) has been lifted as of March 3, 2025. This action is taken in accordance with the President’s Executive Order on Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid.

Effective immediately upon receipt of this notice the recipient should resume activities under the award(s).

The recipient may submit payment requests for legitimate expenses incurred prior to the effective date of the Notice of Suspension or legitimate expenses associated with suspending awards. The recipient may now begin submitting payment requests for legitimate cost incurred to carryout activities as of the effective date of this notice.

Recipients are reminded that any changes to award terms and conditions, as well as costs must be approved by a grants officer. The program officer does not have the authority to approve award costs or program changes.

If you have any other questions regarding the suspension, please contact your Grants Officer at ###xx
Thank you.

Sincerely,
The Federal Assistance Operations Team

10/16/2024

This is the speech I delivered at the 12th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) in Vienna. Since the conference secretariat required that specific countries and projects should not be mentioned, references to China and the Belt and Road Initiative have been removed from the speech.

Mr. Chairman, distinguished delegates, members of civil society,

I would like to draw the attention of representatives to the forced labor and human trafficking involved in the investments of transnational corporations from the global South.

Recent investments from multinational corporations in the Global South have supported developments in green energy, natural gas, metals and mining, railway development, and real estate. However, their investments and entry into these countries have also increased the risk of forced labor and human trafficking of overseas migrant workers.

From my organization's survey of workers in more than a dozen countries from 2021 to 2024, we found that many multinational companies recruit migrant workers and send them to mines or production factories in countries overseas, where they have little access to support and networks.

In many cases, when these workers arrive in the new country of employment, their passports are confiscated. Taking advantage of these workers’ economic, social, and language vulnerabilities, employers employ methods to exert control such as hiring them without proper visa provision, restricting their freedom of movement and freedom of speech, requiring them to work overtime, withholding wages, not providing rest days, and isolating the workers from support networks. For many, if they wish to resign, they will be charged high liquidated damages and will be denied medical care for their illnesses or injuries.

As a result, many workers live and work in poor conditions, with insufficient labor protection and safety equipment, and no reasonable complaint and rights protection mechanism. If they participate or organize protests about their working conditions, they will be punished.

The situation of female workers is even more precarious. They are victims of human and labor trafficking in transnational investments and targets of sexual oppression by managers of these companies.

I hope that States Parties will step up investigations into human trafficking activities by multinational corporations, to enact or enforce laws to hold companies accountable for illegal activities, and to strengthen bilateral and multilateral national coordination to effectively prevent human trafficking.

07/13/2024

According to statements from Indonesian workers employed at IMIP, they are subjected to hazardous working conditions, including repairing equipment at extreme temperatures ranging from 100 to 300 degrees Celsius. Additionally, these workers are burdened with agency fees, are required to take out loans for transportation, and are subjected to unjust fines imposed by the factory. Based on my observations, the working conditions of these Indonesian laborers align with the International Labour Organization's indicators of forced labor

07/13/2024

I am in the IMIP industrial zone in Indonesia. The surrounding environment is very polluted. The air smells bad and the seawater is red. A resident told me that the water source in their community is polluted

06/12/2024

Solidar Suisse fordert wirksame Verbesserungen in der Elektronikindustrie

12/08/2023

For 13 years, Tang Mingfang was a material control engineer at the Fo… China Labor Watch needs your support for Amazon’s Whistleblower sentenced to two years

08/10/2023

印尼工人罢工抗议中国德龙公司侵犯工人权益Workers are on strike in Chinese-owned VDNI in Indonesia. The reason is unclear.

12/07/2022

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Jacobin: Taiwan’s working class has been able to make significant gains in recent decades despite the pressures of economic liberalization. That’s because its unions have received crucial support from a wider network of social movements and advocacy groups throughout the country.