US urges China to free labour activists who investigated Ivanka Trump’s shoe factories

The State Department called Monday for the immediate release of three labour activists who investigated a Chinese company that produced Ivanka Trump shoes in China, after the persons were reported to have been arrested or went missing last week.

The activists were working with China Labour Watch, a New York-based nonprofit, and investigating Huajian Group factories in the southern Chinese cities of Ganzhou and Dongguan.

The company has denied allegations of excessive overtime and low wages. It says it stopped producing Ivanka Trump shoes months ago.

Up to now, the US government hadn’t said anything about the fate of the men.

“We urge China to release them immediately and otherwise afford them the judicial and fair trial protections to which they are entitled,” said Alicia Edwards, a State Department spokeswoman.

She voiced concern about reports that Chinese authorities detained Hua Haifeng, and that activists Su Heng and Li Zhao are missing and presumed detained.

Edwards would not confirm if the US raised the issue directly with China, saying she couldn’t comment on diplomatic conversations. White House spokesman Josh Raffel declined comment.