Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Monday, 25 April 2022
China Ratifies ILO Treaties Ahead of UN Visit to Xinjiang
On Wednesday, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) voted to ratify two conventions on forced labor. The conventions were established by the International Labor Organization (ILO), which in February published a report expressing “deep concerns” about China’s discriminatory labor policies and “coercive measures” in Xinjiang. While the Chinese government has long discussed plans to ratify the conventions, the timing may purposely coincide with the government’s efforts to repair deteriorating EU-China relations and prepare for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ visit to Xinjiang in May. AFP reported on the NPC’s vote:
On Wednesday, China’s top legislature approved the ratification of the International Labour Organization’s Forced Labour Convention, as well as the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, according to official announcements on the National People’s Congress website.
[…] Members who ratify the two conventions are obliged to suppress and not use any form of forced or compulsory labour, according information on the ILO’s website.
They should also take measures to secure the “immediate and complete abolition” of such labour. [Source]
In ratifying these conventions, China must agree to suppress any form of forced labor used in a variety of specific circumstances, including “as a means of political coercion or education or as a punishment for holding or expressing political views or views ideologically opposed to the established political, social or economic system,” and “as a means of racial, social, national or religious discrimination.” A press release from the ILO described the director-general’s satisfaction with China’s progress:
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, said “I welcome the ratification by China of these two ILO Fundamental Conventions on forced labour. The move demonstrates China’s strong support for ILO values and reflects its commitment to protect any female or male workers from being trapped into forced labour practices, which have no place nor justification in today’s world. This is a milestone on the road towards universal ratification of the forced labour Conventions and the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 8, Target 7 .”
“I expect [these] ratifications to create renewed momentum and further efforts by the government and the social partners in China to support human-centred development and decent work in the second largest economy in the world, in line with the ILO Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work .” [Source]
There are eight fundamental ILO conventions. China had previously ratified four: those on equal pay, discrimination, minimum age, and child labor. Thus far, it has not yet ratified those on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. The two conventions on forced labor will enter into force for China one year after their ratification is formally deposited to the ILO.
I welcome the decision by #China to ratify the #ILO Forced Labour Convention 1930 and the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention 1957. However, it is crucial that they are implemented effectively without delay. I urge #China to ratify the Protocol of 2014 also.
— UN Special Rapporteur Tomoya Obokata (@TomObokata) April 21, 2022
EU-China relations may have played a role in China’s ratification of these conventions on forced labor. In the draft Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), a massive investment treaty that was under negotiation between Brussels and Beijing, China would have been required to make “continued and sustained efforts on its own initiative” to pursue ratification of the ILO’s conventions on forced labor. Many EU lawmakers felt that this wording was too vague and that it provided Beijing with too much wiggle room to delay ratification indefinitely. Amid the negotiations, the EU sanctioned several Chinese officials involved in Xinjiang’s “re-education” camps in March of last year, and China immediately retaliated with sanctions against a host of EU officials, agencies, researchers, and one think tank, leading Brussels to officially suspend negotiations on the CAI in May. Since then, China’s support for Russia in its war against Ukraine has further hardened the EU’s stance on China and, as some have argued, effectively killed the CAI. China’s move to ratify the ILO conventions may signal its desire for rapprochement.
If the ILO conventions are ratified by 🇨🇳that would remove a key obstacle on #CAI. Beijing may be signaling that they want to improve frosty relations w/ the EU & curtail US influence. Qstn is, even if Beijing ratifies these key ILO conventions, will they actually be adhered to?
— Theresa Fallon (@TheresaAFallon) April 15, 2022
However, many observers took a cynical view of the ratification. MERICS analyst Francesca Ghiretti said the ratification would “not be enough” to revive the CAI: “It is an attempt to build the conditions for a more positive relationship with the EU during these tense times,” but “we should not expect much more than that.” Channeling the reaction from Washington, researcher Adrien Zenz stated, “In D.C., I think the trust in what China does is so low, especially in Xinjiang, that people are going to see this as little more than a cynical gesture,” adding, “People there are going to consider it to be window dressing—a ratification of something the Chinese won’t enforce.” Mimi Lau from the South China Morning Post described the mostly lukewarm reactions from other China-watchers:
“[The move] is also to warm its relations with the EU in view of the increasing cleavage with the US over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to try reviving the CAI which has been on ventilator because of the EU-China spat over sanctions,” said [Surya Deva, professor of law at Macquarie University in Australia].
He said the ratification would give more opportunities to scrutinise China’s track record on labour rights at the ILO level but was unlikely to have much impact on the ground in eliminating forced labour.
“Effective protection of labour rights requires a supportive ecosystem with multiple elements, but most of these are missing within the current Chinese politico-legal system. The lack of independent trade unions and free media are a case in point,” Deva said.
[…] Aidan Chau, a researcher with the China Labour Bulletin, said the move was a “diplomatic decision” that would not lead to any meaningful domestic changes. [Source]
Responding to these critical reactions, the Global Times tried to reframe the ratification as a purely domestic issue of protecting workers’ rights, with the headline: “China’s ratification of intl forced labor conventions has little to do with Western pressure: expert.” However, in the penultimate line paraphrasing the expert, the author of the article admitted: “Joining the two international conventions will help to counter the US’ wanton long-arm jurisdiction of imposing sanctions, citing untenable accusations.” In December, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which would ban imports from Xinjiang unless they can be proven to be made without forced labor, and announced new sanctions on Chinese companies and entities operating in Xinjiang. Acts such as these have shifted the burden of proof and made it harder for companies, as well as the Chinese government, to rely on stated commitments (as opposed to on-the-ground evidence) when proclaiming the nonexistence of forced labor.
Also from my thread yesterday: in 1997 the Chinese gov told the ILO that the conventions applicable to HK would continue to apply, while at the same time, gutting the laws related to those bills.
The int'l community gets one thing, on the ground anotherhttps://t.co/ziv8Eurfsw
— William Nee (@williamnee) April 20, 2022
(Literally) unbelievable: "The move demonstrates #China’s strong support for ILO values and reflects its commitment to protect any female or male workers from being trapped into forced labour practices…" Worse: unverifiable. @hrw_chinese https://t.co/1zzxQt7JKo
— Sophie Richardson (@SophieHRW) April 21, 2022
China’s ratification of the ILO’s forced labor conventions also occurred one month before UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is scheduled to visit Xinjiang. Her visit and report on human rights violations in the region are long overdue. The visit was originally announced in September 2018, and the Chinese government has stalled ever since. In September 2021, Bachelet stated that her office was finalizing the report, which was to be ready in a matter of weeks, but it has still not been published.
Human rights groups have ramped up pressure on Bachelet over her report and upcoming visit. Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director Joanne Mariner stated that it is “vital that any visit by High Commissioner Bachelet be independent and unhindered,” adding, “A fact-finding mission hampered by state control could end up whitewashing human rights violations – potentially making the UN complicit in promoting Chinese government propaganda.” The message was reiterated by American ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield: “And let’s be clear: any visit by the High Commissioner to China must have unhindered and unfettered access.” In January, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated that China would welcome Bachelet’s visit to Xinjiang only “to promote exchange and cooperation, not for an investigation.” Given that the conditions of the visit have not been publicly disclosed, some human rights researchers have even called on Bachelet to simply not go in order to avoid whitewashing the violations. Human Rights Watch, along with 59 other groups, has argued that the credibility of Bachelet’s visit is at risk:
“The Chinese government has given no indication that the UN high commissioner will be allowed to see anything they don’t want her to see,” said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. “She should not fail the victims of crimes against humanity and other grave abuses by enabling the Chinese authorities to manipulate her visit.”
[…] “Without an ambitious and robust agenda to advance human rights in China, Bachelet’s visit risks empowering the abusers, not their victims,” Richardson said. “High Commissioner Bachelet should leave a legacy as someone who stood up to Beijing, not someone who let down those who suffer under it.” [Source]
In a recent profile of Gene Bunin, creator of the Xinjiang Victims Database, Rob Hastings of iNews described how, despite stalled accountability efforts at the UN level, small acts of documentation by average citizens can coalesce into a powerful testament to those subject to forced labor and other abuses in Xinjiang:
While the international media was by now uncovering and publishing Uyghur victims’ testimonies, Bunin was frustrated at how the news cycle meant their accounts were quickly forgotten a few days after publication.
Wanting to collect them in one place, which might eventually become a “powerful tool” to challenge China, he set up his database in September 2018.
[…] [The website] explains: “Most of those victims still detained are serving long terms in one of Xinjiang’s 50-60 prisons… Anything that could help bring attention to their cases, to remind the Chinese authorities that we’re still monitoring them, and to remind the victims themselves that they’re not forgotten is of value.”
Bunin admits he is sceptical about whether this will provide any new information or lead to people being released, but it’s worth a try – he also likes the idea of prison officials suddenly wondering where all the mail is coming from and feeling under pressure.
[…] As for old friends, he says: “It’s kind of painful to hear how people are moving forward with their lives, while I’m stuck doing this.” It is the pain of the unknown Uyghurs whose lives he is documenting every day, however, that keeps him going. [Source]
source https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/04/china-ratifies-ilo-treaties-ahead-of-un-visit-to-xinjiang/
Friday, 22 April 2022
Photo: Untitled (Shanghai, Urban Skyline), by Discover Corps
Untitled (Shanghai, Urban Skyline), by Discover Corps (CC BY-ND 2.0)
source https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/04/photo-untitled-shanghai-urban-skyline-by-discover-corps/
Minitrue: Silence the “Voices of April” Viral Video on Shanghai Lockdowns [Includes Full English Transcript]
The following censorship instructions, issued to the media by government authorities, have been leaked and distributed online.
BJWX notice
Latest instructions:
All platforms, please refer to [attached] examples and perform comprehensive clean-up of video, screenshots, and other content related to “Voices of April." At the same time, clean up any derivative images. Please submit preliminary clean-up data by 12:30 a.m. on April 23. Maintain continuous cleanup and submit additional data by 7:00 a.m. on the 23rd. (April 22, 2022) [Chinese]
Issuing party: GDWXB
More details: NG2022042200612
Based on the attached samples, leaving no gaps in coverage across XS, all videos related to or involving “Voices of April” are barred from being posted or reposted, without exception. Please report back on progress by 12:00 a.m. (April 22, 2022) [Chinese]
These notices relay directions from the Beijing and Guangdong Cyberspace Administrations—“BJWX" and “GDWXB” are abbreviations for Beijing Wangxin[ban] 北京网信[办] and Guangdong Wangxinban 广东网信办, respectively. The timing and similarities in the language suggest that they both originate from the national Cyberspace Administration of China. The Guangdong notice leaked from Tencent Music Entertainment—”XS” refers to an internal corporate division. The Beijing notice’s provenance is unclear, but it appears to be a similar internal corporate memo.
“Voices of April" is a six-minute viral video in which audio clips documenting the ongoing lockdowns in Shanghai play over aerial footage of the city. It begins with a snippet from the now infamous March 15 press conference during which Shanghai city health officials promised that there would be no lockdown. The video then covers rising case counts, food shortages, stranded truckers, people locked into or out of their buildings, residents hauled off to spartan quarantine facilities, babies and toddlers separated from their parents, and sick or elderly residents unable to receive medical treatment.
The video has been intensely censored on Chinese social media, but widely reposted to YouTube. CDT has archived the video and produced an English transcript, both available below. Users on Chinese platforms have attempted to evade censorship with techniques such as rotating the video or posting mosaics composed of its individual frames, sometimes with “Shanghai 404” superimposed to highlight the ongoing deletions:
Pretty amazing. I’ve seen people post iterations of the video upside down in order to evade censors. But even then, the video is deleted as I am watching it. Another one that’s circulating is the song of Les Miserables. pic.twitter.com/cgnIG6YUOC
— Liza Lin (@lizalinwsj) April 22, 2022
Under the current administration, there are far fewer ways for Chinese to express their thoughts and grievances. Censorship is more than ever. Even so, they are creative and always find a way to get their messages across. pic.twitter.com/BhB4zkFmzb
— Liza Lin (@lizalinwsj) April 22, 2022
An uptick in the volume of WeChat content (public account articles & videos) mentioning Les Miserables. Source: WeChat Index. pic.twitter.com/0QWMi147uH
— Wayne Xu 🇺🇦 (@WeiaiWayne) April 22, 2022
One Weibo user composed the following poem about the silencing of the “Voices of April”:
Delete the true voices, but preserve the lying reports
Muffle the mouths that speak, cover the ears that listen
They’re ants, or mustard seeds, or political symbols, but never are they human
What gets put onstage is the praise, the gratitude, the peace
What gets buried is the sobbing, the helplessness, the blood [Chinese]
The frustrations encapsulated in the video have been mounting over the past month, and were sharpened this week amid inconsistent messages from local authorities about when the lockdowns might ease. New restrictions were announced on Friday in a bid to eliminate community transmission. After weeks in which many residents have faced food shortages, complaints circulated this week of spoiled food in some packages distributed by the government. Shanghai officials did promise on Friday to relax some restrictions on truck drivers, whose ordeals in the course of delivering food and other supplies CDT has previously documented. Videos and images of residents defying official workers have met with applause online. One viral audio recording captured a German resident’s profanity-sprinkled phone call with a neighborhood committee translator about the prospect of returning to quarantine based on a 12-day-old test result. A Weibo user commented that “for the first time in history, a foreigner is collectively praised by the Chinese people for bad-mouthing China.” CDT translated another viral call between an elderly man desperate for medical care and a helpless neighborhood committee cadre.
Like “Voices of April,” these other expressions of discontent have faced heavy censorship. The Guardian’s Helen Davidson surveyed earlier information controls, while Human Rights Watch’s Yaqiu Wang discussed censorship surrounding the lockdowns with Pranshu Verma at The Washington Post. “Shanghai is the financial center of China. Prominent people live there,” Wang noted. “They have more of a following. It’s easier for their message to go viral. […] And the lockdown’s not just happening in Shanghai right now, there are many other cities. You don’t hear much from them because the prominent people don’t live there.”
The video and translation follow.
March 15, 2022
Shanghai press briefing on COVID-19
On that day in Shanghai, there were:
Five new confirmed local cases of COVID-19
95 new asymptomatic cases
A total of 197 confirmed local cases
A total of 959 asymptomatic cases
“At present, Shanghai is not under lockdown.
There is no need to lock down the city now.
In accordance with the current pandemic situation in Shanghai,
we will continue to act based on local conditions …”
March 26, 2022
Shanghai press briefing on COVID-19
445 new confirmed local cases
2631 new asymptomatic cases
A total of 360 confirmed local cases
A total of 12167 asymptomatic cases
“You may ask: ‘Can’t we just buckle down, and lock down the city for 3 days, 5 days, or a week?’
We cannot. Why is that?
Because this city of ours belongs not only to the people of Shanghai.
Shanghai also plays an important role in the national economy.I believe that all Shanghai citizens ought to be able to understand the bigger picture.”
"Voices of April"
April 18, 2022. Shanghai.
3084 new confirmed local cases
17332 new asymptomatic cases
A total of 27613 confirmed local cases
A total of 370320 asymptomatic cases
April 1, 2022
Call between a citizen and the director of the Pudong New Area Center for Disease Control and Prevention
“It’s just that now …
I’m telling you, we’re running out of sickbeds.
There’s no room at quarantine centers, and no ambulances.
That’s the truth.
Right now, we’re telling people they’re positive, but their health app says they’re negative.
We tell them to call the 12345 hotline to complain.
What the hell’s going on?”
“Right now, even the comments section of the Shanghai Information Office’s official Weibo account has been closed …”
April 1, 2022
Infants are separated from their parents in quarantine in Jinshan District
April 2, 2022
There is no one to meet a volunteer truck driver delivering essential goods.
“I got here at 4:00 am, and I’m still waiting around.
Are you just going to let these vegetables rot?
And I can’t find any water. Doesn’t Shanghai have convenience stores?
Can’t find anything to eat, either.
I volunteered to do this. For free.
And now I can’t even feed myself …”
April 2, 2022
A resident of Dacheng Village, Baoshan District calls the local government office
“Do you know we have friends in Pudong District who received emergency food packages earmarked for the Baoshan district?
How do you think that makes us Baoshan residents feel?
And then, two days ago, you pull this so-called …”
April 2, 2022
Residents thank medical support teams
“Thank you, Big Whites!
Thank you all for supporting Shanghai!”
April 2, 2022
A neighborhood in Gu Village, Baoshan District
“Send us food! Send us food! Send us food!”
April 3, 2022
Pudong District
A call between a resident and the neighborhood Party secretary
“We need better policies from the higher-ups,
so that we can better help our residents.
[crying] Right now we don’t have that.
Do you realize that? We don’t have that.
This job is wearing me out …”
April 6, 2022
A corgi is “culled” on the streets after its owners are sent to quarantine
“Is he going to beat it to death?
Oh, god …”
April 6, 2022
An older woman delivers food to her neighbor
“In this building, we’re all good friends.”
“Thank you, Auntie!”
“It can’t be easy for you, being so far from home.”
“Who says folks in Shanghai aren’t friendly to outsiders?”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really.”
April 7, 2022
A policeman delivers food to a truck driver in Minhang District
“I rustled up a bit of pickled cabbage. Eat up!”
“The police brought me food. Shanghai cops are nice.
I haven’t eaten in days.”
April 7, 2022
No hospitals are willing to accept a seriously ill father in Pudong District
“It’s my dad.
I’ve been getting the run-around since 8:00 this morning. We called an ambulance, and two hospitals turned him away.
I told the residents’ committee, and they said no, the hospitals will definitely take him. That’s where we’re at right now.
There’s nobody to save him or to take charge of the situation.
You’ve got parents, too. How can you treat people like this?”
April 7, 2022
People trapped in a locked-down office building have their food delivery order thrown out
“Listen, I’m disinfecting the building so I have to throw that in the trash.”
“Why? What are we supposed to eat?”
“Not my problem, I’m just disinfecting…”
April 8, 2022
A woman returning from chemotherapy is denied re-entry to her housing complex
“I got a PCR test and did chemo at the hospital.”
“He won’t let you back in?”
“The housing complex won’t allow it.”
“On what grounds? She lives here.”
“Take it up with the subdistrict committee, then.”
April 8,2022
Evening in a Pudong District neighborhood
[Banging of pots and pans]
April 8, 2022
Evening in a Jiuting, Songjiang District neighborhood
“Send us food! Send us food! Send us food!”
April 8, 2022
A man delivers food to a trapped repairman
“I was planning to bring you this yesterday,
but I was scared we’d infect each other.
Then today, I got to thinking:
the virus won’t kill you, but starvation will.”
April 8, 2022
Evening in Hongkou District
An elderly woman is stranded outside a hospital entrance, unable to get home
“What can we do? This is so stressful!
It’s enough to make a person sick.”
April 9, 2022
Living in an unfinished field hospital
“Look, this building doesn’t even have a roof.
When we got here, everyone raced to grab blankets,
and claim beds.”
“This place isn’t finished yet, just look.”
“Where’s the bathroom?”
“I don’t know. I’m not a Big White, I’m in quarantine, too. ““They haven’t even set up the beds yet.
People are just sleeping on the floor.”
April 9, 2022, Fengxian District
Residents are prohibited from picking up food deliveries
“So are you going to bring us food, then?”
“You’ll have to wait for an update about that.”
“But in the meantime, we’re starving!”
April 10, 2022 a residential complex in Xuhui District
Residents protest being locked inside their housing complex.
“What if a fire breaks out? How can you lock the door?”
“What if a fire breaks out?
What if a fire breaks out? Answer me!”
April 12, 2022
A mother knocks on her neighbors’ doors in the middle of the night, begging for medicine to bring down her child’s fever.
The “120” emergency hotline has a queue of more than 300 callers.. The neighborhood committee has no medications.
“My child has a fever.
Ma’am, are you home?
I’m sorry to bother you …”
April 13 2022, Xuhui District
Volunteers refuse to put sealing tape on a residential building
“We’re not trying to be uncooperative.
But this is beyond our capacity as volunteers, all right?”
“How can we go on working here as volunteers if we do this to them?”
“If you turn around and change your minds, take that tape off tomorrow, we’ll quit.”
April 12, 2022
An older man, wanting to go to the hospital for tests, pleads with a member of his neighborhood committee for help
“I called 12345 and the police too, you know?”
“I know you have. But did you get any response?”
“There was no response.”
“I have no idea what on earth they’re thinking. Mr. Yu, I’m frustrated that I can’t help you. Right now … if anything, I’m even more heartbroken than you are. You’re just one family, but right now I’m dealing with countless families.”
“Right. I empathize with everything you just said.”
“I’ve filed written reports about your situation. I’ve made countless calls.”
“Well, I appreciate it.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Yu. There’s nothing I can do.”
(sigh)
The next day, Mr. Yu was transferred to a hospital by the CDC.
On April 20, a regular press briefing on Shanghai’s COVID situation reported that new cases have been falling for the past few days, and that community transmission has been effectively contained.
May Shanghai recover soon.
Video credits:
Aerial photography/editing: Cary
Audio material was sourced from the internet.
Background music for opening credits: "Requiem" by Akira
Music: “Edith’s Theme” by Jeff Russo [Chinese]
With translation by Joseph Brouwer, Cindy Carter, and Alex Yu.
source https://chinadigitaltimes.net/2022/04/minitrue-silence-the-voices-of-april-viral-video-on-shanghai-lockdown-full-english-transcript/
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