US asks China to drop 3 people 'missing'

One man was arrested and two others were out of touch while investigating working conditions at a shoe factory under the Ivanka Trump brand in China.

Ivanka Trump - daughter of President Donald Trump - Photo: AFP

The State Department has called on the Beijing government to release three activists from the China Labor Watch (CLW), the state-run Guardian said on Friday.

The three men are thought to be "missing" while investigating a daughter of Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump.

Li Qiang, director of CLW, confirmed he had lost contact with Hua Haifeng and two others, Li Zhao and Su Heng. On May 30, after dozens of unsuccessful calls, he concluded, "They may have been detained by the factory or police."

Ms. Deng Guilian, Hua Haifeng's wife, said she received a call from police at noon on May 30, announcing that her husband had been charged with "illegal tracking."

The caller just said she did not need any further information (about the arrest), and she would not be able to meet, talk or receive money from her husband.

CLW is a non-profit organization based in New York (USA). The group plans to publish a report on low pay, overtime and labor abuse at factories in China.

CLW is well known for its previously published reports on child labor in the supply chain for Samsung Group and a series of factory chain investigations for Apple.

Last year, Walt Disney Co. The US had to stop cooperating with a toy maker in Shenzhen after CLW exposed their labor offenses.

However, the target of this investigation of CLW was considered quite "sensitive" brand owned by Ivanka Trump, daughter of the President of the United States.

White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks declined to comment on the arrests in China, while company manager Ivanka Trump did not respond to media inquiries.

According to CLW director Li Qiang, this is the first time in 17 years that CLW has been closely monitored by the authorities. "This has started to take a political course," Li said.

However, the Associated Press commented that Beijing's toughness for organizations such as the CLW could stem from growing labor unrest and slow economic growth. Thank you for leaving valuable comments