China Defends Tibet Labor Practices as U.S. Increases Scrutiny
- Tibet governor says forced labor ‘does not exist’ in region
- Report last month alleged use of Xinjiang-style labor campaign
This article is for subscribers only.
Chinese officials defended their labor practices in Tibet, in the face of growing concerns about rights abuses in the region and the Trump administration’s appointment of a senior official to scrutinize Tibetan affairs.
Tibet Governor Qi Zhala told a briefing Thursday in Lhasa that forced labor transfer “does not exist,” maintaining that the local government was focused on “increasing the idle work force’s income through job-skills training.” Qi, who was speaking about poverty-alleviation efforts, maintained that the Tibetan government had provided travel subsidies for people to work in other regions, and that they were free to come and go at will.