BEIJING — A labor activist who had been working undercover at a Chinese factory that makes shoes for Ivanka Trump and other brands has been detained by the police, as concerns rise over a crackdown on the country’s advocacy groups.
The activist, Hua Haifeng, who was working on behalf of the advocacy group China Labor Watch, was detained on suspicion of illegal eavesdropping, his wife, Deng Guimian, said late Tuesday. Mr. Hua and two other labor activists had been undercover at two Chinese factories that make shoes for Ms. Trump and other brands. They all disappeared on Saturday, according to their employer, China Labor Watch.
They were last seen in Ganzhou, a large city in southern Jiangxi Province. It is unclear whether the other two were detained.
China Rejects U.S. Call to Free Activists at Factory Making Trump Shoes
SHANGHAI — China faces growing pressure to release three labor activists detained for investigating conditions at factories that make Ivanka Trump’s shoe brand, as experts warned that the detentions could make it more difficult for other Western companies to take a clear look at the practices of their Chinese suppliers.
Chinese officials on Tuesday dismissed a call from the United States to release the activists and grant them judicial protections and a fair trial. At a daily news briefing, Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said it was an internal Chinese matter.
