ILO seeks changes to China's 'discriminatory' labour policies in Xinjiang

[February 11, 2022]    By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) - An International Labour Organization committee has expressed "deep concern" about China's policies in its farwestern region of Xinjiang, calling them discriminatory and asking Beijing to bring its employment practices into line with global standards.

Workers walk by the perimeter fence of what is officially known as a vocational skills education centre in Dabancheng in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

The report on the region, home to China's minority Muslim Uyghurs, risks stoking geopolitical tensions between China and the United States at a sensitive time for Beijing as it hosts the Winter Olympics.

The United States and other Western nations have imposed a diplomatic boycott of the Games over China's treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Allegations of rights abuses include some that are reviewed by the ILO committee, such as China's alleged use of forced and prison labour.

China denies the accusations.

"The Committee expresses its deep concern in respect of the policy directions expressed in numerous national and regional policy and regulatory documents and requests therefore the Government to ... review its national and regional policies with a view to eliminating all distinction, exclusion or preference," the report released on Thursday said.

Specifically, the committee asked China to repeal provisions "that impose de-radicalisation duties on enterprises and trade unions" in Xinjiang and to amend political re-education provisions.

China's foreign ministry and its diplomatic mission in Geneva did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday. The U.S. State Department welcomed the committee's findings and called on Beijing to take the steps requested by the ILO committee.

In its report, the committee examines a number of allegations by the International Trade Union Confederation, including that Beijing has used a "widespread and systematic" programme of forced labour throughout Xinjiang that violates an Employment Policy Convention.

The Chinese government called the allegations "untrue and politically motivated" in remarks summarised in the report.

China has been a member of the Geneva-based ILO since 1919 and has ratified many of its legally-binding conventions.

The ILO committee is an independent body made up of 20 jurists to provide an impartial evaluation of all member states' application of global labour standards.

(Additional reporting by Yew Lun Tian in Beijing; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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