Op-Eds

The Disappearance of Voice of America Is a Failure of American Values

CLW’s Executive Director, Li Qiang, authored an article on the Diplomat titled “The Disappearance of Voice of America is a Failure of American Values”, arguing that if the U.S. government shuts down Voice of America (VOA), the biggest beneficiary will be authoritarian regimes like China. Drawing on personal experience, Li argues that VOA is not merely a media outlet—it is a symbol of press freedom and American democratic values. For millions living under censorship in China, VOA is a important…

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Taiwanese Business’ Mistreatment of Chinese Workers Intensifies Anti-Taiwan Sentiment in China

Li Qiang, CLW’s executive director, published op-ed article “Taiwanese Business’ Mistreatment of Chinese Workers Intensifies Anti-Taiwan Sentiment in China” in The Diplomat, examining how labor abuses by Taiwanese-owned factories in mainland China have fueled growing resentment toward Taiwan among Chinese workers.​ Key Takeaways: Persistent Labor Abuses by Taiwanese Firms in China. Despite some improvements since the 1980s, Taiwanese-owned factories in China continue to engage in exploitative labor practices. These include excessive working hours, wage withholding, and the coercion of student…

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Assessing CCP’s Role in Labor Rights Abuse: Overseas Party Building Work in SOEs

*An Op-ed piece based on this essay is published on the Diplomat. Introduction Many Chinese workers employed by Chinese companies abroad suffer degrading conditions, as we’ve found in previous investigations. Of course the employers shoulder much of the blame for these abuses, but it would be a mistake to believe they are the only ones responsible. Host countries also have a large part to play in minimizing the extent of labor violations. But China’s party-state itself should hold the ultimate…

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Legal Protection for Chinese Workers: A Brief Review

Background Following China’s economic reform in 1987, the Chinese Communist Party began its state-capitalist market experiment, juggling a fine balance between economic growth (through the active introduction of western technology and capital), and the political stability of China’s socialist society. During this period, a capitalist model of market economy was carefully instilled into the then closed socialist economy of China, starting with a few experimental regions or Special Economic Zones (SEZs) Shenzhen, Xiamen, Zhuhai, and Shantou. Within the confines of…

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China Labor Watch’s Letter to Michael Kors

On March 12, 2018, China Labor Watch sent the following letter to five companies: Michael Kors, COACH, Kate Spade, DKNY, and Marc Jacobs. As of March 16th, we have yet to receive a reply from any of the companies. Factory workers have verified that all five of these brands are or have been supplied by the Guangzhou Shimen handbag factory as they have previously manufactured products bearing these brands’ logos. Dear Mr. John Idol:  I am the founder of China…

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ICTI Care: A Glamorized Public Relations Tool for the Global Toy Industry

“The mission of the ICTI CARE Process is to enable the worldwide children’s products industry to ensure that its products are manufactured in an environment of the highest standards of safety and humane conditions.” This statement was printed on a recent flyer advertising one of ICTI Care’s programs. Founded in 2004, ICTI Care works with global toy brands, providing services related to ethical supply chains including factory audits, training sessions and a worker helpline. Most major multinational corporations in the…

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US must acknowledge worker abuse linked to its corporate giants like Apple

Source: South China Morning Post (Sep 9, 2015) By CLW Executive Director, Li Qiang   As the presidential election season gets under way, American politicians have used the coming state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping as an occasion to criticise China’s human rights record. I have spent more than a decade striving to improve civil rights in China. My efforts, like those of other Chinese activists, have regularly been obstructed by the Chinese government. Beijing’s efforts to suppress civil rights…

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Apple should not profit at the expense of low-wage workers

Source: South China Morning Post (April 1, 2015) by Li Qiang  I used to have an iPhone 4. It’s the best smartphone I ever owned. Apple’s designers pursue the highest standards for the quality of the technology they create. As a human rights and labour activist, I once genuinely hoped Apple would apply the same earnestness employed in the pursuit of product quality to its treatment of the workers making its products. I hoped the fantastic profits resulting from Apple’s technological…

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Li Qiang Testimony for Congressional Hearing on Labor Violations in Toy Industry

December 11, 2014 Testimony Title: Fair Toys for Our Kids Witness: Li Qiang, Executive Director of China Labor Watch I am the founder and Executive Director of the New York-based China Labor Watch (CLW) and a labor activist that has participated in China’s labor rights movement for over twenty years, including investigation of toy factories that began in 1999. To date, I have led research on labor conditions of more than 100 toy factories. The reason I am testifying before…

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China’s Next Pollution

Source: The Mark News by Li Qiang On April 5, 2014, 48,000 workers began a strike at the Yue Yuen Chinese shoe factory. Since then, there have been at least 34 reported strikes related to unpaid social insurance in factories across China. Li Qiang, executive director of China Labor Watch, says this trend requires immediate policy action. Established in 1989, the Shenzhen Baode Toy Factory is a typical export-oriented supplier factory. In August 2013, workers went on strike at the…

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Rising costs in China are not an excuse to exploit workers

Source: South China Morning Post (Jun 21, 2013) Li Qiang Li Qiang says it is not just callous but in fact inaccurate to blame the departure of some multinationals from China on the modest wage rises for underpaid migrant workers. Consider this statistic: the wealth of China’s 1,000 richest people is equal to that of all 263 million migrant workers combined. According to the 2012 Hurun Rich List, the combined wealth of China’s 1,000 richest men and women equalled about…

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Testimony for Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Li Qiang, China Labor Watch I appreciate the opportunity to speak before the commission today. My testimony is informed by 20 years of experience with advancing labor rights for Chinese workers, first as a worker and activist in China and since 2000 as director of China Labor Watch. Over the past dozen years, China Labor Watch has conducted a series of comprehensive assessments of a wide range of factories in China, relying on researchers based there as well as in…

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