China’s investment abroad undermined by human rights claims, report finds
- Business & Human Rights Resource Centre logged 679 charges of human rights abuse against Chinese companies operating abroad between 2013 and 2020
- Metals and mining drew the most allegations – 236, or 35 per cent of the total, the global non-governmental organisation (NGO) said
China’s efforts to be seen as a responsible investor overseas are at risk from high rates of human rights abuses linked to its business operations, especially in the metals and mining sector, a report released on Wednesday found.
The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, a global non-governmental organisation (NGO), logged 679 charges of human rights abuse against Chinese companies operating abroad between 2013 and 2020.
Metals and mining drew the most allegations – 236, or 35 per cent of the total. Peru, the world’s second-biggest copper producer, and China’s neighbour Myanmar, a leading supplier of tin and rare earth ore, were named as hotspots.
Over one third of the allegations against Chinese mining businesses overseas were related to prolonged conflicts between large China-backed multinational mining companies and local communities in Latin America and Papua New Guinea
“Over one third of the allegations against Chinese mining businesses overseas were related to prolonged conflicts between large China-backed multinational mining companies and local communities in Latin America and Papua New Guinea,” the report said.