President Halonen urges China to improve workers’ rights

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China has to pay more attention to workers’ rights, urged President Tarja Halonen during her visit to China on Thursday. Halonen refrained from delving into the human rights situation in China to any greater extent.
      The Finnish head of state met with the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in the city of Dalian in the northeast of China, in connection with the ongoing World Economic Forum meeting.
      During the thirty-minute discussion, Halonen said she brought up the workers’ rights. She urged China to cooperate with the international trade union movement.
      "It is extremely important to make it known that we value these things in Finland, and that we expect our employers to behave in an exemplary fashion even overseas."
     
Over 200 Finnish companies operate in China, employing in excess of 30,000 people.
      China’s ruling Communist Party does not allow free trade unions, and the working conditions in China are under constant criticism from the international trade union movement.
      Halonen’s delegation in Dalian consists of five business representatives. In addition, a Finnish delegation of small and medium-sized businesses that is also in Dalian was given flanking support by the President of the Republic.
      "It is important to show that Finland greatly values its trade and cooperation with China", Halonen commented.
      During her August visit to China, the German Chancellor Angela Merkel directly appealed to China to improve its human rights situation in the run-up to the Olympics in Beijing next year.
      Halonen said she agreed with Merkel, even though she abstained from presenting any similar pleas.


Links:
  Presidential Website
  Konecranes
  World Economic Forum 2007, Dalian, China

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