Detained Over Ivanka Trump Factory Inspection, China Labor Activist Speaks Out
When Mr. Hua tried to visit Hong Kong to discuss video details with Li Qiang, the founder
and director of China Labor Watch, nearly two weeks later, he was stopped by Chinese border police and told that he could not leave mainland China.
China Labor Watch, a New York-based labor advocacy group, hired Mr. Hua, 36, in early May as a consultant to
join two younger activists who had taken jobs at two Huajian International shoe factories in southern China.
The State Department spokeswoman, Alicia Edwards, also said
that American companies benefited when undercover labor investigators could help make sure that Chinese manufacturers were respecting labor laws.
The case involving Mr. Hua and two fellow activists has focused unwanted attention not only on poor labor practices in China,
but also on the manufacturing operations of Ms. Trump, the president’s daughter and a special adviser in the White House.
Mr. Hua said that he had decided during his four-week detention
that he would speak to the news media after his release because he thought the public had a right to know about what he described as excessive work hours and other unfair or illegal labor practices at Huajian.
The next day, he fled 250 miles inland to Ganzhou, the location of the other factory, and met Li Zhao, one of the other China Labor Watch activists.
