The good news about human rights from China is not legion. It should also be noted that on Wednesday, April 20, Beijing announced that it had approved the ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s two fundamental conventions banning the use of forced labour. There are a total of eight core conventions of the ILO. Xi Jinping’s country had already ratified the two texts on child labor and the two on discrimination. What remains is the ratification of two treaties on freedom of association, which unfortunately are not on the agenda.
“By adopting these ratifications, China reinforces its commitment to eliminate all forms of forced labor within its jurisdiction, to implement freedom of labor for its 1.4 billion people, and to uphold the fundamental principles and rights at work of the ‘ ILO’ to respect, explains the organization. The first convention (nOh 29) prohibits the use of forced labor in all its forms and requires that these practices be criminalized. The second (nOh 105) specifically calls for the immediate abolition of forced or compulsory labor in five specific circumstances.
These conventions enter into force one year after the deposit of their instruments of ratification with the ILO. “This move demonstrates China’s strong support for the ILO’s values and reflects its commitment to protect every worker, male or female, from the trap of forced labor, which has no place or justification in the world of labor.” † Ex-British trade union leader Guy Ryder, the current director-general of the ILO, said in a statement.
Explicit Condition
Surprisingly, this ratification was done almost on the sly. The Chinese media barely mentions it. “For more than a decade, China has worked hard to improve its own laws to protect labor rights. It now has, for example, an employment law, an employment contract law and an employment dispute mediation and arbitration law.” explains Cao Yan, a lawyer, in the Global Times from April 21. For this Chinese newspaper, this ratification “little bit” have to deal with possible Western pressure.
However, the calendar seems to indicate otherwise. Ratification of ILO conventions is an explicit condition for the European Union (EU) to implement the Comprehensive Investment Agreement concluded between China and the EU at the end of December 2020, but never entered into force. “We can only welcome this ratification. She was needed. But it is not enough. Meanwhile, the imposition of Chinese sanctions against MEPs makes it impossible for Parliament to ratify the agreement.” notes a European diplomat in Beijing.
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