Building on the Back of Prisoners

Release date: 

01/2011

This update to our “Not For Sale: Advertising Forced Labor Products For Illegal Export” report details the imports of Inland Screw Piling from a Laogai enterprise, Xinxiang Zhongke Mining Equipment Company, in Henan Province, China. “Not For Sale” highlighted English language advertisements for Laogai forced labor prison camp products, suggesting that English advertisements implied an intent to export those Laogai products. Such a trade is illegal not only in the United States, but also in China. While Laogai Research Foundation’s work has largely focused on the Laogai’s relationship to the U.S. and Europe, we were intrigued to see Laogai imports to Canada, a country where prison labor imports are also illegal. While the specific evidence of this case is important, countless other cases remain undocumented. This case is merely a example of a supply chain system that not only ignores, but deliberately hides the means of production from consumers. Such trade financially supports the Laogai, one of the most repressive prison systems in the world. As such, LRF calls upon the governments of Canada and China to uphold their respective laws and to take demonstrable steps to prevent future infractions.