China rejects U.S. call for release of labor rights activists, 6 Jun 2017

China on Tuesday said it had detained labor rights activists who scrutinized conditions at a Chinese company making Ivanka Trump-branded shoes, rebuffing a call from the U.S State Department for the release of the three men. The remarks were the first official confirmation of last month's statement by China Labor Watch...that one activist had been arrested and two were missing after studying conditions at factories that produce shoes for [Ivanka Trump] and other Western brands. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the activists were detained and investigated on suspicion of interfering with a company's "normal operation and production activities", and the illegal use of "professional surveillance equipment".

On Monday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department expressed concern over reports that Chinese authorities had detained labor rights activist Hua Haifeng and that two other labor activists – Su Heng and Li Zhao – were also missing and presumed to have been detained. "We urge China to release them immediately...," said the spokeswoman, Alicia Edwards. Labour activists have helped U.S. companies understand conditions in their China supply chains, "which can be essential in fulfilling their own responsibilities and holding Chinese manufacturers accountable under Chinese labor laws," she added. [also refers to Huajian Group]