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 establishment of London as its European hub.
Just ten days ago, China Labor Watch released an independent investigative report on a core manufacturing facility associated with Pop Mart. Based on first-hand worker interviews and document review, the report highlighted multiple ongoing labor rights violations. This includes excessive overtime, inadequate labor protections, the absence of effective grievance mechanisms, forced overtime of underage workers, withholding of workers’ wages, and other conditions which indicate a high risk of forced labor.
To date, we have not observed any substantive improvements in labor conditions at the relevant factory.
Despite this, the UK government has publicly supported and promoted the company’s European expansion without disclosing whether independent and effective human rights and labor due diligence has been conducted across Pop Mart’s supply chain. This sends a troubling signal to the international human rights and labor community: that documented, recent and unresolved labor rights concerns may be sidelined when a company is deemed commercially or politically attractive.
China Labor Watch emphasizes that we do not oppose international trade or cross-border investment per se. However, responsible economic engagement must be grounded in respect for labor and human rights. At a minimum, this requires independent and transparent due diligence, clear and verifiable remediation plans, and linking market access and government support to demonstrable improvements.
When governments publicly endorse companies despite unresolved labor concerns, the implications extend beyond any single case, undermining values-based trade commitments and reinforcing unfair competition.
China Labor Watch urges the UK government to reconsider the policy implications of its public endorsement of Pop Mart and to clarify how this decision aligns with its stated commitments. We formally request a public response to the concerns raised above.
Li Qiang
Executive Director
Photo by Markus Winkler
