Belt and Road Initiative

Overseas Labor Risk Brief: Social Media Posts Reveal Accidents, Enforcement, Wage Arrears, and Spillover Risks

China Labor Watch (CLW) reviewed and compiled a total of 139 Chinese-language social media posts from December 2025 to February 2026 concerning labor rights violations, human trafficking, and other issues impacting Chinese workers. Over the past two months, risks facing overseas Chinese workers and Chinese-invested projects have become increasingly evident and interconnected. Workplace accidents have occurred frequently in multiple locations particularly in industrial parks in Indonesia. Incidents including collapsing steel piles, fatal truck run-overs, and crowd stampedes highlight serious weaknesses…

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Statement by China Labor Watch at the United Nations Constructive Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons on Oct 8, 2025

This is the official statement delivered by China Labor Watch at the United Nations Constructive Dialogue on Trafficking in Persons on October 8: Our investigations have found that labor trafficking within international critical mineral supply chains and construction projects is both systemic and transnational, yet remains rarely acknowledged or addressed. Workers have reported being deceived by online recruitment scams, paying exorbitant fees, and signing fraudulent contracts. Upon arrival, many were forced to surrender their passports and subjected to severe restrictions…

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Forged-in-Silence-The-Untold-Stories-of-Chinese-Workers-at-Indonesias-Nickel-Plants

Forged in Silence – The Untold Stories of Chinese Workers at Indonesia’s Nickel Plants

On December 24th 2023, two of China Labor Watch’s staff traveled to a remote nickel plant in Indonesia to investigate reported labor violations and speak with workers. Two weeks later, an explosion occurred at the same plant, resulting in 22 fatalities. Our staff was not injured, but just days before they had published a report detailing our findings.  The overall findings of the investigations these past two years, as well as footage from the recent explosion, is included in an…

Read MoreForged in Silence – The Untold Stories of Chinese Workers at Indonesia’s Nickel Plants