China has ratified two international conventions against forced labor, the International Labor Organization's Forced Labor Convention of 1930 and the Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957. The decision to ratify the two international conventions was announced as the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) concluded its 34th session in Beijing last week. The Chinese government has attached great importance to the protection of workers' interests and has held a responsible attitude toward ratifying international conventions on workers' rights, Wang Wenbin, Spokesperson of China's Foreign Ministry told a press conference. China has always opposed forced labor and the ratification of the two conventions once again showed the Chinese government's firm stance. UN human rights Commissioner Michelle Bachelet has scheduled a visit to Xinjiang, but China's Foreign Ministry said there was no direct link with the ratification of the two conventions.
For the past decade, China has been considering signing the conventions and has made full preparations on laws, policies and practices, Cao Yan, Professor from the Research Center for Human Rights at the Northwest University of Political Science and Law and also an expert on labor laws, told the Global Times. Having a complete domestic legal system is the premise of joining and better implementing any international convention. For more than 10 years, China has worked hard to improve its own laws on protecting labor rights. For example, China now has a Labor Law, Labor Contract Law, and a Law on Mediation and Arbitration of Labor Disputes, Cao said. Some of China's laws made in the 1950s and 1960s adopted higher standards on protecting women and minority groups than international conventions. However, the Cold War had hindered China's pace in joining the two conventions, Zhu Ying, Professor from the Baize Institute at Southwest University of Political Science and Law, told the Global Times.
The fact that China had not yet ratified the two conventions was also an issue during the discussions for concluding the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) between China and the EU. Ratification of this agreement remains suspended by the European Parliament after China imposed sanctions on EU parliamentarians following the imposition by the EU of sanctions on Chinese officials it accused of being involved in abuses in Xinjiang.
